Blind Bravado
by JamRax
Summary: Lucas doesn't understand who or what he really is. With his family slowly being divided, he's at a loss. Not knowing what else to do, he decides to take his grandfather's last bit of advice and go on a journey of his own. Elements from both the Games, Manga and Anime. Note: This is M for a reason. Harsh language, violence, gore and suggestive themes. You've been warned.
1. Prologue

A small, little beach side town was what Sandgem was. It wasn't particularly the most well known place, but it _was_ where people went in order to see Professor Rowan, best known for his study on Pokemon evolution.

Walking from a small, nearby school yard was a young boy and his father. The father seemed to be dragging the boy along a dirt path, towards a building in the distance. The boy looked back at the multiple kids, happily playing amongst themselves and with the local pokemon.

"Dad...Why can't I play with the other kids?"

"You know that you're not allowed! You're not like them. You need to stay with me and the professor at the lab. No more running off! You hear me?! You shouldn't waste your time on lesser beings such as those children."

"But...I really wanna go on the playground…" The boy hung his head low.

"No Lucas! Please don't make me tell you again." The man said, growing annoyed.

"O-okay…"

When the two of them arrived at the building, the man quickly grabbed his lab coat from a coat rack and walked his son over to a smaller room with a bed, a bookshelf, a desk and a singular lamp.

"Go to the back room and ready yourself for test 32."

"Yes, sir…" The small boy muttered before taking his bag off and placing it on a chair.

He went to _his_ room and changed his clothes. A black tank top and a pair of red shorts. The boy wrapped his hands with white bandages.

After a few minutes, an older man stepped inside and kneeled down in front of the boy. "Are you ready Lucas?"

"Yes Professor…" Lucas sighed.

"I know you may not like this, but in order to understand your true capabilities, we need to perform these tests." The man said.

"I know. It's just, I wish I could do...I dunno, normal kid stuff!" Lucas grumbled.

"Hmm...I'll tell you what. Finish up today's test and I'll get your dad to let you go outside for a little bit. It's about time you made some friends that aren't in the cramped up laboratory." Rowan spoke.

"Really?! Dad never lets me do anything!"

The old man chuckled and nodded. "Yes. Now come. Today won't be easy for you."

"Why is that?"

"Well, as you know you're not very skilled with most of the typings. Based off of your previous test scores, we've come to the conclusion that your use of normal, fire and rock types are like second nature to you with the electric typing showing signs of development. However, you lack an understanding of the other typings. Because of this, we're going to try and expand upon that." The professor explained.

The old man walked the small boy to the basement level of the lab. The boy's father stood by idly and watched the two walk towards large a chamber. Lucas stepped inside and braced himself for what was to come.

The first series of tests were to push Lucas to his limits in terms of his physical strength. They made him do around sixty pushups in two minutes, one hundred crunches and run on a max speed treadmill for an hour.

After all this. They moved into his use of skills. He would fire off small attacks at multiple targets. With his low level rock type moves.

Once he completed that, he moved on to his resistance test which was by far his most difficult.

"Alright, phase one." A dark brown haired woman with red glasses spoke as she pulled a lever down.

The vents within the chamber began to let off a gust of chilling air. Frost covered the glass of the chamber, symbolizing the sheer cold from inside.

"Ok Lucas, you're at twenty degrees below zero." Rowan said.

Lucas shivered furiously as he tried desperately to resist the cold. His father noticed this and narrowed his eyes.

"Lucas! Use your fire!"

Lucas's eyes widened and he surrounded himself with bright orange flames. Steam filled the chamber as the frost melted.

"The temperature will now drop to below forty degrees!" Rowan yelled.

Lucas increased the amount of fire that he gave off in order to combat the freezing temperature. It was slowly becoming an extremely difficult task for the child.

"We are now lowering the temperature to seventy degrees below zero." The woman said.

Lucas dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around himself. "I...It's t...too cold...I can't do it!"

"Professor, should we shut down the chamber?" The woman asked.

"I suppose-"

"NO! He needs to improve! He gave up after below seventy last time! He will endure the cold if he hopes of mastering these powers." The boy's father said, cutting off the professor. He dropped the temperature to below ninety.

"N...no! It's too...c...cold! Stop it! TURN IT OFF!!!" Lucas screamed. He dropped to the floor as his flames diminished.

"Use your fire if you want to survive!"

Rowan glared and moved the father away from the machine. "That's enough Gregory!" Rowan pushed the lever back up in order to stop the test. Lucas huffed as he tried to catch his breath. Rowan scooped the boy up in a blanket and glared.

"But what about the other tests? We can't just stop after this one!"

"This is becoming unethical. I want to understand the boy's power as well, but not like this. He's been committed to these life restricting experiments since he was able to walk! He needs to be given a proper childhood! He's only eight years old Gregory. He rarely ever leaves this lab and spends most of his time dreaming about what it means to be a real kid." Rowan scolded.

"With all due respect, I don't need a lecture on how to raise my son!" Gregory hissed.

"Then prove it to me! Stop treating him like lab rat and let him enjoy his life. The boy should be at school interacting with others. Not spending his life in a laboratory chamber! He'll become emotionally disconnected. He may grow to be unstable."

"Fine! If that's what you think is best...We're leaving!" The man grabbed his son and left the lab. He walked him down the path that led towards their home.

"..." Lucas felt tension and it was giving him anxiety. His father was upset and he could tell.

"Listen to me Lucas…" The man growled.

"Yes dad?" Lucas winced.

"You're special. One of a kind! I know what you can and can't do, so please...Don't make me regret everything I've done to make you better." The man said as he lowered the boy to the ground. "Go inside the house boy."

"Yes sir…" The boy stepped inside and was greeted by a small brown haired little girl as she hugged his waist.

"LUCAS!" She yelled happily.

"Hey Liz." The boy smiled down at his younger sister and patted her head. No matter what he went through, his three year old sister also warmed his heart. She was the only person that he could always count on to brighten up his day in the darkest of times.

"I gotta show you something Lucas!" Liz said as she tugged her older brother towards the living room. She pointed to the screen and showed Lucas a guy a few years older than himself with a red cap on, ordering a large, orange pokemon to attack and a bulky blue one.

"Whoa?! Is that really Red? He's at the Pokemon league in Kanto!" Lucas said.

"Look at him go!" Liz shouted.

"Red is so cool! Look at Charizard kicking butt out there!" Lucas grinned at the screen.

"We gotta tell grandpa!"

"Where is he?" Lucas asked.

"He's in the back with Sparks."

"Alright. I'll be back." Lucas said to her.

"Hurry back or you'll miss the ending!"

Lucas nodded and walked to the back yard. He saw his grandfather tearing off a strip of meat and feeding a piece to a tiny Shinx. The little boy walked next to the old man with the red beret on top of his grey hair.

"Hey grandpa." Lucas said to the old man as he walk over to him.

"Ah, Lucas my boy! How are you?" The old man said as he ruffled the boy's messy black hair.

"I'm fine. What about you?" Lucas asked.

"Oh you know, just saying hello to our reoccurring friend."

Lucas bent down and scratched behind the Shinx's ears. It purred and nudged Lucas's hand with affection. Lucas smiled widely. "It's nice to see you again too Sparks."

Lucas's grandfather grinned at the interaction. He stood up straight and let out a content sigh. "Hey Lucas, why don't I take you and your sister with me to Lake Verity tomorrow morning. We can go see if the mysterious Pokemon of emotion is there.

"Really?! Yeah! Let's go!" Lucas said happily.

"Great! Don't worry, I'll let your father know beforehand."

"Thanks grandpa!" The boy said with a wide smile on his face. "Oh and grandpa, Red did it! He really made it to the pokemon league! Come on! We gotta go watch him!" Lucas said as he pulled his grandfather back towards the house.

"Alright! Alright! Calm down Lucas! I'm coming." The old man said with a hefty chuckle before coughing uncontrollably.

Lucas looked back at his grandfather with a worried face. "Are you okay grandpa?!"

"Yeah, don't worry about me kiddo. It's just a little cough."

"Right. If you say so…"

-Later that Night-

Lucas and and his younger sister were put to sleep after they ate a nice dinner made by their grandfather. Their father was sitting out back, lighting a cigarette in his hands. Next to him was an old man who had a stern look on his face.

"I talked to Rowan…"

"Save it father. I already got told off by him." Gregory sighed.

"He's just a boy! You can't keep pushing him like he's a machine! You'll work him to death!"

"That 'boy' is able to use the moves of a pokemon! He may be just a boy to most, but he's by no means a normal human being!"

"He's your son Gregory!" The grandfather yelled back.

"No...He's not my son. He's much too different. Me and Irene wouldn't have been able to create a being like Lucas. He was found by her and we adopted him. We could've never know that he'd be such a rare creature! A human blessed with the ability to wield the moves of a pokemon? It's preposterous and yet, there he is! Such talents should be explored in great detail!" Gregory said.

"You can't keep doing this to him!" The older man clutched his chest and began to cough violently.

"Father please. You need to calm yourself down. You know that you're sick."

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me! This is about Lucas."

Gregory sighes and took a deep inhale of his cigarette. "Honestly father…"

"After a brief discussion with Rowan, we came to the conclusion that if Lucas wants to, he'll become a Pokemon trainer and explore the region on the day of his 12th birthday."

"WHAT?!" Gregory dropped his cigarette and glared at his own father. "That's ridiculous! What would he even need a pokemon for? He can protect himself!"

"It's not about whether or not he'll be able to keep himself safe. It's about the excitement of the journey and the thrill of meeting new people. He'll get to experience what many other kids get to. He'll finally be able to have fun!"

"So it's already been decided then?" The old man nodded to his son. "...Well then...If that's the case then I suppose that I'll just have to trust in his ability to grow on his own when that time comes…"

"Now, I'm going to be taking the kids down by Lake Verity first thing in the morning. Don't you worry about us. We'll be back later in the afternoon if not early in the evening."

"Right…" Gregory muttered.

"...You know, this shouldn't bother you so much. Your mother and I supported your decision to go out and become a trainer. Why can't you be the same way with your own son? Because he's different?!"

"It's not like that…"

"You need to lighten up Gregory. He's getting older. He's YOUR son. I can only tell you so much. It's up to you to put him on the path that will give him the most success." The grandfather let out another fit of coughs. He wiped the small drip of blood from his lips and sighed. "Let's face it Gregory, I'm not gonna be around much longer. You need to start making the right decisions."

"Father...Don't talk like that…"

"No, boy! You need to understand my words...and except them…"

-The Next Morning-

"Come on grandpa!" Liz yelled as she ran around happily.

"My, you're a fast little one! Slow down Lizzie! I'm just an old man!"

"Lucas!" Gregory called out to his son.

The boy shuddered abd looked back with a raised brow. "Yes dad?"

"I want to you to...have fun with your grandfather. Make sure you watch out for any wild pokemon and keep everyone safe."

"Oh...uh okay! I will!" Lucas said with a small grin.

Gregory lit a cigarette and nodded. He patted the boy's head. "I know I'm hard on you, but I want you to know that I do it because I know you're an extraordinary kid."

"Right. Thanks dad." Lucas said with a bit of awkwardness as he put his backpack on and walked out the front door with his sister and grandfather.

The three of them walked down what many consconsidered the first route of Sinnoh. Each of them were taking in the scenery. Liz was astonished by the sight of all the different pokemon roaming around. Lucas couldn't believe his eyes. He had spent so much time in the lab that he never got a chance to notice how beautiful nature was. The multiple pokemon that caught his eye left him in awe. He had only been used to seeing Sparks and occasionally the others that would go to the playground in Sandgem. It was incredible to him.

"Alright kids! We're coming up on Twinleaf Town. That means that we're getting real close to good old Lake Verity!"

"Wow! Can we see Twinleaf grandpa?" Liz asked.

"Hmm...I don't see why not. C'mon kids!" The old man said cheerfully as he walked forward with Liz. Lucas felt apprehensive. He noticed that his grandfather was clutching his chest and was sweating more than he should've been on such a short walk.

The boy snapped himself out of his own thoughts and ran forward to catch up with his family. "Hey! Wait for me!"

"Come on Lucas! You're moving too slow!" Liz yelled playfully.

The three of them walked into Twinleaf and admired the place for what it was. While it was a bit smaller than Sandgem, it was also very peaceful and quiet. Lucas smiled at the sight of a few Starly flying around. He wished he could fly up with them.

"Hey mister, you know by any chance where my son could be?" Asked a woman dressed in red with chocolate brown hair.

Their grandfather scratched his beard in thought. "What does the young man look like?"

"He's a little eight year old boy with bright blonde hair. He wears a green scarf and is VERY hyperactive." She said.

"Hmm...I'm afraid I haven't, ma'am. Is he somewhere in town?"

"No! I've looked all over Twinleaf for him." She said with panic in her frail voice.

"Well me and my grandkids were going down by the lake. We can check there if you'd like." The old man suggested.

"Oh yes! Thank you!" The woman said quickly. "His name is Barry."

"Barry, huh? Should be easy to remember."

A thought then came to the woman's head. "Oh and if you see him with a little girl, tell them that her mother is looking for her. The little girl's name is Dawn."

"Right. No problem. Let's go you two."

"Aw, but we just got here grandpa." Liz pouted.

"It's ok. We'll stop by again later."

The trio lead by the old man walked off towards the large body of water that was supposedly home to one of the mythical lake pokemon. Lucas new all about the legendary pokemon Mesprit due to his grandfather's many tales about visiting the lake. It was where he said that he met his wife.

Once they got to the lake, Liz and Lucas wasted no time running around with happy smiles and carefree attitudes. They played with various Bidoof that resided there.

"Look Lucas!" Liz pointed to the many water type pokemon swimming around in the water.

"I see a few Magikarp, some Goldeen and...some Poliwags!" Lucas deducted with an innocent smile as he continued scanning the water. The boy had an extensive amount of knowledge on many types of pokemon due to his time in the lab with Professor Rowan.

Liz wasn't paying attention to her older brother's words. She was too busy giggling at her reflection in the water.

The grandfather watched on with a sad smile. He knew that his time in this world was limited and just being able to see his two grandchildren together having a good time filled him with a sense of peace and acceptance. While Liz was usually happy and spent a lot of time with the sixty three year old man, it was his grandson that he was worried about. Lucas rarely smiled. He was isolated and never hung around kids his age. He was sheltered inside of a lab most of his life and didn't have any real friends. That realization hurt the old man deeply. This is what lead to his decision to make Lucas a trainer when the time came. He only wished he would be around to see that day. He clutched his aching chest and started to feel dizzy. He shook his head when he heard a noise coming from a patch of tall grass.

"Who are they?!" Asked a small boy as he peeked out of the grass.

"I dunno. I've never seen them around here before." Muttered a girl next to him.

"Hm? Hey, who are you two little ones?" The old man asked. The two kids quickly hid themselves back in the grass. "Hey! It's okay. I'm a kind old man!"

The two kids looked at each other for a moment. The little boy stepped up and looked at the old man with a cautious glare.

"Who are you?!" He asked.

"The name is Luther. What about you two?"

"Hmm...You're not a creep, are you?" The boy asked.

"Ohohohoho! No, no, no! I'm no creep."

"...Then why are you here?" The boy pressed.

"I'm here with my grandkids." The old man responded. "Hey Lucas, Lizzie! Come here for a second." The two children quit what they were doing and walked over towards their grandfather.

"What is it grandpa?" Lucas asked.

"I found two kids that look your age, Lucas." The small boy looked at the two kids in the grass and started to feel uneasy. He quickly hid behind his grandfather's leg. "Aw, come on Lucas. You gotta introduce yourself."

"N...no!"

"You sure? Oh well. Maybe next time." Luther looked back at the other two kids. "So, what are your names?"

"I'm Barry!" The blonde boy shouted proudly.

"My name is Dawn…" The little girl muttered.

"Ah, I see. You know, you kids should really head home. Your parents are pretty worried about you."

"Oh man! Mom is gonna be so mad at me for running off again!" The blonde kid groaned before sprinting off.

The little girl seemed flustered. "B...Barry?! Wait up!" The girl ran after her friend. She tripped and fell to the grass. Feeling embarrassed, she quickly forced herself up and continued running.

Lucas stared at her, and then to the red scarf that she dropped. He looked at it with mixed emotions before walking up to the loose fabric and picking it up.

"She dropped it, grandpa." Lucas muttered.

"Yes she did. Would you like to go and return it?" Their grandfather asked.

"...Yeah. That's the good thing to do, right?" The small boy asked.

Their grandfather father smiled. "It sure is kiddo."

After a short walk back to Twinleaf, The three looked around for any signs of the young girl. They began knocking on every house door until they finally found the right one.

The old man knocked on it and stood back when the door flung open. "Hello. Who might you be?" A woman with navy blue hair asked. She seemed kind enough. That still didn't ease the boy's nerves.

"Go on Lucas."

"I...I found this scarf that uh, D...Dawn dropped at the lake…" He said nervously as he held out the red silken scarf.

"Well, will you look at that." The lady smiled brightly. She turned around and called out for her daughter. "Dawn!"

"Yes mom?"

"You've got a visitor. Say hello to Lucas." The woman said.

Dawn stared at the three with a look of confusion. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I found...uh...your scarf…" The boy was feeling anxious. Dawn's face lit up at the sight of her favorite piece of clothing. She took it from Lucas and hugged it tightly.

"Thank you."

"Y-yeah, your um...welcome." Lucas nodded.

"Well with that out of the way, I suppose we should make our way back home." The old man said.

"Thank you again. Please, don't hesitate to stop by sometime." The woman bowed politely.

The old man and his two grandchildren made their way back down route 201 and back to Sandgem Town. It was early in the afternoon and everyone grew hungry for lunch.

When they all made it back home, Gregory greeted them all with nods before he ended up stepping out of the house and towards the lab.

Lucas and his younger sister were inside of the house relaxing as their grandfather made them something to eat. Watching a news report on something about the team rocket leader going missing and the Viridian City gym being closed down. Red was playing his role as champion and completely decimating anyone who dared to challenge him for his title. All while he smiled at them. This made Lucas happy and excited to become his very own trainer.

-A Few Weeks Later-

As days went on, Lucas would eventually start going to the Lake in hopes of seeing Mesprit with his grandfather while his father started to educate Lizzie at home.

It was times like this where Lucas could really bond with his grandfather. He learned of the many events that occurred during his grandfather's time as a trainer. He was an expert battler in his younger days and was even a researcher on mythologies with his wife when he got older. He loved to find out about other worldly forces and uncover mysteries about legends.

While spending much time at the lake, Lucas had met up with Barry and Dawn a few times. Barry was able to exhaust the boy with his hyperactive antics and constant movement. He rarely ever slowed down. Dawn on the other hand was like his polar opposite. She was more quiet and relaxed. She was a bit shy but Lucas wasn't really one to judge on timidity. Regardless of their personalities Lucas still valued them as the closest thing he had to friends. This change in life was more enjoyable for the boy. He did still go to the lab and carry out certain tests, but it was far less than when he first started.

Eventually, something would happen that would that would shift Lucas's happiness. His grandfather ended up hospitalized and could no longer walk the boy down to the lake. This left Lucas feeling hurt on the inside. He hated the feeling of knowing that something was wrong and he couldn't control it. He was sad that his one positive figure was absent and couldn't shake it away.

While in the small local hospital of Sandgem, Lucas, Liz and Gregory sat by the bedridden old man. The children were on the verge of tears and their father was doing his best to control himself.

"C'mon, why the long faces? I'm just a little sick is all! I'll be fine in a couple of days." He lied. To the kids, it was a sign of flase hope. To Gregory, it was a sign of submission. He knew that his father was slowly dying and was just trying to keep the kids happy. It was a hard thing to watch.

"Grandpa, I don't want you to go away…" Liz sobbed as she hugged the old man.

"Don't worry Lizzie. Grandpa is always here. Don't you cry anymore. You gotta be strong for your dad and your big brother."

"Okay grandpa. I'll try." She said softly.

"I need to talk to Lucas for a little bit. Go with your dad for a moment." He said.

"Yes grandpa." She sniffled.

"Good girl." He watched as Gregory carried his daughter out of the room. The old man looked at his crying grandson and smiled. "Lucas...Why ya cryin?"

"I...it's because...I'll n...never get to...see you again…"

"But you're so strong! You don't need me around anymore. I've seen with my own two eyes what you can do. I've ran out of stuff to teach you and all I can do now is sit by and watch you get better each and every day. You're a great kid and I have nothing but faith in you. Don't ya still wanna be a trainer like your old cousin?"

"I...can't...I don't want to if you're...dead." The boy said sadly.

"It's fine. I'm not gonna leave you Lucas. Even if I'm not physically here, I'll still be with you, Liz and your dad." The old man sat up and grabbed the red beret from the bedside table. "Here, kid. Take this with you. If you keep it then I'm never really gone. Plus, it'll make me happy."

"Why are you giving me this?! Isn't this your favorite hat?"

"Make it _your_ favorite hat. I wore that hat the day that I started my journey. Now, you can too. Make memories with that thing, you hear! It's real special." The old man smiled as Lucas put the slightly big hat on. "Look at you. I bet all the ladies are gonna chase you down now! Even if it IS a little dated." He chuckled.

"...I'm gonna miss you." The boy muttered.

"I'm gonna miss you too. Make me proud. I'll be watching so you stay outta trouble. Ya hear?"

"...I will! I'll do my best!" Lucas hugged his grandfather one last time.

"I'll tell grandma that you said hi, alright? I know she'd have been happy to see you." The old man said.

"Okay…"

"Now get outta here. And make sure you take good care of Sparks for me. That little knucklehead loves trouble. He's gonna need you now more than ever."

"Yes sir..." Lucas stepped back and started for the door. He took one last good look at his waving grandfather. He turned back and closed the door, leaving the old man to die in peace.


	2. The First of Many

"LUCAS!!!" A loud voice shouted from down stairs.

The black haired boy groaned and rolled out of his bed. He slowly walked towards the door of his room and turned the knob.

"What is it dad?" The boy answered with exhaustion.

"You're going to be late! Punctuality is very important and it is highly impolite to keep the professor waiting."

"Yeah...I know dad...Just gimme a minute. Geez! I gotta get dressed." Lucas grumbled.

"Very well…Make it quick and efficient."

The boy threw his door shut and huffed out an annoyed breath. He opened his drawer and pulled out a white t-shirt. After throwing it on, he grabbed a pair of dark blue, baggy jeans. He finally moved to his closet and grabbed a black vest with a grey stripe running horizontally around it. He threw on his socks and fresh a pair of red low top sneakers. He looked at himself in the mirror and lightly scowled.

"Today's the day…" The boy sighed.

Lucas stepped out of his room and walked downstairs to see his little sister sitting at the table eating breakfast with their father. Neither seemed to be engaged in any form of conversation. Then again...that's how it's been for about four years now.

Lucas sat down and grabbed some toast. His father looked at him with a plain expression. It was one that lacked any warmth.

"You're twelve years old now Lucas...As you know, that means that today, you'll start your journey."

"I'm well aware of that dad…" The boy grumbled while stuffing his face.

"Do you have your bag packed?" Gregory asked.

"Yes…"

"Did you make sure to pack everything?!"

"YES! Now would you vet off my back about it!" I said with annoyance.

The father nodded to his son. "Hurry yourself up. We will depart to the lab when you're done." The man said before lighting a cigarette.

"Really man? At the table? Those things are only gonna kill you faster…" Lucas muttered.

"Mind your tongue boy!"

"Tch...Whatever…" He pushed his plate aside and stomped over towards his bag. He looked at his grandfather's baret that was next to a photo of him and his wife. His eyes drifted to a photo of his deceased mother. His stare lingered for a brief moment before deciding to look away.

He picked up the red hat and put it on before walking out of the house without any fault in his step.

Gregory sighed and stepped out as well, with Liz following behind. She had her handheld game system in her possession. She seemed immersed in the game that she was currently playing.

Lucas walked off with his hands stuffed into his pockets, far ahead of his family. His father seemed bitter and his sister didn't really care much about the situation.

"Hold on for a moment Lucas…" The man said to his son. Lucas ignored him and kept walking towards the lab. "Lucas!" The boy stepped in front of the door to the lab and opened it. This cause Gregory to sigh.

"Just give it a rest dad…" Liz said to her father as she continued walking and playing at the same time.

Inside the lab, Lucas was greeted by Rowan. The old professor acknowledged him with a slightly saddened expression. Today was the day that he and Luther discussed about before his long time friend passed away. Since then, Lucas hadn't been the same. Gone was the high spirited, curious little boy that was at the same time very much anxious. What replaced him was a colder one that was much more temperamental.

"Hello Lucas, and happy birthday."

"Yeah...Thanks professor…" The boy muttered.

"As you know, you're here to receive your first ever Pokemon."

"That I am…" Lucas said in an unenthusiastic tone.

By now, Gregory and Liz had walked inside of the lab. Gregory gave his son a disapproving look and stepped over towards him.

"Lucas! Did you not hear me calling you?" He asked the boy.

"Tch...Lay off…" He growled.

"Ahem! If you're ready to continue...We'll be on our way." Rowan said.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"Lucas, before I send you off with your starter, I need you to come with me to Lake Verity."

"You want me to go to the lake? Why?" He asked.

"Just trust me on this." Rowan told him.

"Do I have to go?" Liz groaned.

"No dear. Lucas is the only one that is required for this task. You and your father may return home."

"Great...Later Lucas." The girl muttered before walking outside with her face still in her game.

"Lucas...Do behave yourself." Gregory told the boy.

"Ngh...Please don't start dad…" The boy grumbled.

"Right...Well still. I just want you to know that I really do...I just...I care-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...Look can we just go now?" Lucas asked the professor. The old man nodded and grabbed a briefcase.

Gregory sighed once more as he watched his son walk out. "Goodbye Lucas…"

Lucas and the professor were walking down route 201 in silence. Rowan at this point didn't know how to really talk to him. Lucas was different now. He wasn't the same little eight year old that craved fun and yearned for excitement. He had for the most part given up on that. Now that he was about to start his journey, he didn't know what he was thinking. It was supposed to be a day that a child would rejoice.

As for Lucas, he was thinking multiple different things. While a part of him was waiting for this day to come, another part of him wasn't so sure about the whole situation. Another issue was racking his brain at the current moment. He was passing Twinleaf Town. This was where his two 'friends' lived. He hadn't come down to visit them in almost three years. It's wasn't that he disliked them. It was just the sheer fact that he wasn't sure how to approach them anymore. He knew of his growing temper and he refused to snap on his only two friends. At least that was what he kept trying to tell himself.

Once the professor and Lucas arrived at the lake, the old man set down his briefcase.

"Take a good look around Lucas. This lake is where you will embark on your first journey. Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Lucas shrugged.

Rowan nodded and opened the case. "There are three pokemon inside of this case. There's the fire type, Chimchar, the water type Piplup, and finally, the grass type, Turtwig. Which will be your first pokemon?"

"...I dunno...Which one is the best?" Lucas asked.

"Um...Well you see...There isn't really a definite superior. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses…"

"Fine...I guess I'll just pick this one then." The boy reached over and picked up a pokeball.

"Really now? Very interesting...I believed that you two will be a very good match." Rowan said with a small smile.

"What makes you say that?" The boy asked.

"Well it's just the nature in general. I feel as though he'll be a very good influence on you Lucas."

"Tch...Whatever you say, professor." Lucas huffed.

"Now that you've chosen, I'd say it's time for you two to get to know each other." Rowan said.

Lucas nodded and sent out his starter for the first time. The green, turtle like pokemon stared up at Lucas with a look of wonder.

"Well, what the heck am I supposed to do now?" Lucas asked.

"Simple. You just have to greet him properly." Rowan said with a grin.

Lucas kneeled down and looked at the small creature with a passive expression. "Uh...Hi there…" He said awkwardly. The small creature nudged Lucas's hand, signaling the boy to rub the top of it's head. Lucas dropped his hardened emotions and smiled. "Wow…" He muttered.

Rowan looked on with a smile of his own. "Now that you two are acquainted with each other, I'd say it's time for you to show what you two can really do as a team." He pointed to a Bidoof near the lake. "I want you to battle that Bidoof with your new starter."

"Okay. Uh...What moves does he know?" Lucas asked.

"He knows Tackle and Withdraw." Rowan informed.

"Right...Ok, then I guess you can run up and use Tackle." Lucas said nervously. Turtwig nodded at him, then ran at the Bidoof with full speed and smashed himself against the unknowing Pokemon. The Bidoof slid across the grass and laid motionless.

"It appears that Turtwig has knocked it out." Rowan said.

"Woah! You took that thing out in one hit! You gotta be like, SUPER strong!" Lucas ran up kneeled down in front of his starter. Turtwig let out a content little noise.

"Did you understand what that was Lucas?" Rowan asked the boy.

"Uh yeah...It was a battle."

Rowan nodded. "Indeed it was. However, that was only a wild encounter. During your journey, you'll be battling many different trainers. Pokemon trainers raise their team to be stronger than those that you'd find roaming around so it's important to keep your team in good condition."

"Right…" Lucas nodded.

"Now, before we head back to the lab, I want you to look out at that cave in the center of the lake."

"Cave?! What cave?" Lucas asked with confusion.

"Just look for yourself."

Lucas looked out and to his surprise, he did in fact see a small island with a cave. He hadn't noticed it before given the fact that the lake was often surrounded by a dense fog.

"No way...Is that where…"

"Yes Lucas...That's where the legendary lake pokemon resides. It's the home of Mesprit. My recent studies have proven that as fact."

"Wow...That's actually amazing…" Lucas grinned.

"Well, let's not dawdle. We should make our way back over to Sandgem and I'll give you everything you need before sending you on your way." The older man spoke.

"Yes sir." Lucas grinned as he returned Turtwig back to his pokeball.

Rowan grabbed his briefcase and nodded to the boy. The two walked through the trees and away from Lake Verity. As they passed the gates of Twinleaf Town, they heard something happening ahead of them.

"Come on! We gotta risk it! This is our very own Pokemon we're talking about! Once we sprint through this grass, we'll be on our way to being the greatest trainers ever!" Yelled a blond haired kid.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. What if we get attacked by a wild Pokemon?" Said a girl with navy blue hair.

Both of the two figures were very familiar to Lucas even though he hadn't seen them in a little over three years. It made the boy feel a bit guilty that he stopped visiting them.

"Relax Dawn! All we gotta do is just dash forward without stopping once. We'll be fine! Just trust me." Barry said with clear optimism.

"I dunno about this…" Dawn said uneasily.

"Just follow my lead. Now, we'll go on three. You ready?"

Dawn sighed. "Alright…"

"One...Two…"Barry started. Professor Rowan straightened out his necktie and stomped towards the two. "THREE!!!"

"HOLD IT!!!" Rowan shouted, stopping both of them from moving into the grass. "What were you two thinking?!"

"Whoa! What's up with the old dude?" Barry asked as he turned around and stared at the professor.

"I think that's the professor." Dawn muttered.

"..." Lucas stared at the two as their gaze met his. It took them a little bit of time to realize that it was Lucas. Barry's first response was to narrow his eyes. Dawn simply looked away from him

Both of them focused their attention back at the old man with widened eyes. He cleared his throat and stepped next to them and dropped his briefcase. "It is most unwise to travel through the grass without a Pokemon. If you truly do wish to become trainers then you'll each need your own starters." Rowan opened up his briefcase and showed them both the two remaining pokeballs.

"No way! Just like that?! It's really happening? I can't believe it!" Barry yelled happily.

"How come there's exactly two of them?" Dawn asked.

Lucas tossed up his pokeball and caught it in his own hand. Rowan nodded to the boy and returned his look to the other two.

"Lucas received his starter a few minutes ago. These two are what I have left." Rowan said.

"So...which is which?!" Barry asked.

"The one on the left is the fire type, Chimchar. The right one is the water type, Piplup. Choose wisely. This IS your very first pokemon."

"Well...I guess I'm mature enough to wait a little longer so go ahead Dawn. You pick first." Barry said to her. He had a slight twitch in his eyes.

Dawn smile gleefully and nodded. She grabbed the starter of her choice. Barry grinned widely and grabbed the remaining one.

"I can't believe it. I...I finally got my first pokemon." The girl muttered.

"This is so cool! Me and my Chimchar are gonna be the best in Sinnoh!" Barry yelled. The blonde then got an idea in his head. "DAWN!!! You and I should totally battle!"

"But we just got them. We don't even know much about them yet. I don't think we should go out and make them battle so soon."

"UGH! You're no fun!" Barry whined. He then pointed at Lucas with an accusing finger. "You just got yours today too, right?! If so, then you and I should battle!"

"W...what?" Lucas gave him a confused glance.

"Don't tell me you're gonna wimp out on me too…" Barry groaned.

"No way! I'm not afraid of you!"

"Great! Let's do this then!" Barry tossed out his started which prompted Lucas to do the same. "Alright Chimchar, hit him with Scratch!"

"Scratch? Whatever, take it and hit him harder with Tackle!"

Barry's Chimchar swiped at the small green pokemon. Lucas's Turtwig tanked the hit and rammed into its opponent. The Chimchar flipped back to its feet and glared as if ready to attack again.

"Scratch once more!" Barey shouted.

"They're persistent Turtwig. Stand your ground." Lucas ordered. He didn't understand the sudden feeling that washed over him. He felt like he's done this before. Like he's been an experienced trainer his whole life. He was ordering his starter as if they'd been in a real battle before. His attitude and his confidence were different. It almost compelled him to jump in and battle himself.

Chimchar sent a deep swipe across Turtwig's head. The attack seemed to have hurt the grass type more than the last attack because Turtwig actually hit the ground.

"YES! Nice one buddy!" Barry yelled.

"What the heck happened?!" Lucas yelled while losing some of his recent confidence as his pokemon struggled to get back up. The boy didn't realize that Turtwig had been hit with a critical attack.

"It's hurt! Let finish him off!" Barry yelled.

"No way! I'm not about to lose to Barry of all people! Not on my first day!" Lucas growled to himself. "DAMMIT!!! GET UP TURTWIG!!!" The grass type slowly crawled to his feet and braced itself. "Hurry and use Withdrawal!" Lucas shouted.

The grass type made a solid attempt to increase its own defense but was simply struck back down.

"Not quick enough, dude!" Barry taunted.

Lucas hissed with pure anger. He could feel his hands heating up as his blood boiled. "How?! All he's doing is attacking me!"

"SCRATCH!" Barry yelled.

"Tch...Dodge it and use Tackle!"

Turtwig hopped to the side and avoided the hit. He then charged directly into the fire type's back, sending him into a tree.

"Scratch, double time!" Barry demanded with a goofy grin that pissed Lucas off.

"Same drill! Dodge it and-" Before Lucas could finish, Chimchar had already, hit Turtwig with a scratch attack that put him down to the ground.

"No! What are you doing?! Get up!" Lucas yelled with frustration.

"Yeah! I just won my first ever battle! Nice work Chimchar." Barry said as he recalled his teammate.

Lucas recalled his as well and glared at the grass below him. Barry lifted his hand and grinned. Lucas looked at him with pure rage before swatting his hand away and stomping back on the path towards Sandgem.

Rowan looked at the two kids with questioning glances. He then sighed and followed the boy. He stopped and looked at the other two. Both had saddened looks on their faces. Barry's was more of a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Both of you should head to my lab if you want to take the next steps in becoming a trainer." He told them.

"Yes sir. We're gonna go tell our parents right-" Dawn stopped her sentence as Barry already took off towards his home. Dawn sighed and walked after him.

Back in Sandgem, Lucas was in the lab with Professor Rowan. Turtwig was being healed and the boy was sitting on a stool while the older man was looking for something to give him.

"Tell me Lucas...What made you so upset back there?" Rowan asked.

"..." Lucas didn't respond.

"It's ok to lose you know. Nobody's gonna judge you for it." Rowan said to me.

"Tch...Yeah right! My dad always told me that I was different from kids like them. He always gave me high standards. To lose like that...It was humiliating!" Lucas growled.

"Humiliating? Yes...The end of the world? No…"

"Well I don't want it happening anymore. I hate it." I snarled.

"Everyone loses Lucas. It's a part of life. You lose, then you learn. That's how you grow."

"Whatever…" The boy folded his arms. Rowan pulled out a small red device and attempted to hand it to Lucas. "What the heck is this?"

"It's a pokedex. It's like an encyclopedia for the many different pokemon in the world." He said

"Okay...What do you want me to do with this?"

"Would you...mind completing it for me? That's all I'd asked of you." Rowan told the boy.

Lucas sighed. "I don't know...That seems pretty annoying to have to do." Lucas grumbled.

"It's all I ask. Whether you complete it or not is completely up to you. I'd still rather you at least try."

"Fine...Gimme the stupid thing." Lucas snatched it out of his hand.

Rowan smiled. "Thank you Lucas."

"Yeah…" He muttered.

That's when the lab's front door swung open. Barry stood there with sweat drenching his face.

"I'M HERE!!!" He yelled.

"...And that's my cue to leave." Lucas said. "I'll see you around professor…"

"Be safe Lucas." The older man said.

Lucas shoved past Barry and stepped outside. He turned his head and saw Dawn approaching the lab as well. She looked at him with a the same sad look as before.

"...Uh...Hi…" She muttered.

"Hi…" He said awkwardly. "Y...your friend is inside." Lucas said before walking away.

"He was your friend too." He heard Dawn say.

"Yeah...He was…"Lucas grimaced a bit. "Not now though…"

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing happened…I'm still me..." Lucas continued walking up north, leaving Dawn a tad bit annoyed.

"No...You aren't…"

Lucas continued walking toward the route to Jubilife City. He released his Turtwig and stared at it. The small creature gave him a saddened look.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. It's my fault for being an incompetent trainer. I won't let that happen again. Losing to Barry...Tell me...You felt that too right? That anger? I don't ever want to see him beat us like that again."

Turtwig still looked ashamed. He didn't know how to feel. He then opened his mouth and made a noise to his trainer.

 _"I won't ever let that happen again!"_ He yelled at Lucas.

"..." Lucas stared at him for a moment before falling back. The boy let out a loud yell as his partner walked next to him with a scared look.

 _"WHAT?! WHY IS HE SCREAMING?!"_ Turtwig looked around frantically.

"Y...you just...you're...talking…" Lucas bumbled.

 _"...Y...you can hear me?!"_ Turtwig asked.

"Yeah...I can…"

 _"B...but how?! People aren't supposed to be able to talk to Pokemon!"_

"How the heck am I supposed to know?!"

 _"This is so weird…I CAN TALK TO HUMANS!!!"_ Turtwig yelled happily.

"No...you shouldn't be able to talk...This doesn't make any sense…" Lucas kept trying to rack his brain for any solutions.

 _"But I can! Oh man, I've got so much to say! Like, why do humans always wear clothes? It just doesn't make sense."_

"...Ok so...I'm gonna have to asked you to stop." Lucas grumbled.

 _"What'd I do?"_

"Stop talking! It's seriously freaking me out."

 _"No way! I found out something special about me! I'm going to embrace this wonderful gift and speak my mind!"_ Turtwig said proudly.

Lucas and his starter continued walking until they spotted another kid that seemed eager to battle them.

"Move it kid!" Lucas growled.

"Nope! You wanna go past? Gotta beat me first." The shorter boy said.

"Oh no! I'm oh so very terrified!" Lucas said sarcastically.

 _"Bet this kid has to be in the house by nine."_

"You think that you're so tough?! Me and my friends own this route! Anyone who tries to get to Jubilife has to go through us!" The kid yelled.

"...Seriously kid? Where are these so called 'friends' of yours?" Lucas asked.

"They're all over so you better watch yourself!" The kid yelled.

 _"Psh! Five bucks says he's lying. Let's just kick this guys butt and get a move on already."_

"You wanna battle so bad? Fine! I gotta warn you though, I'm in a really bad mood." Lucas said darkly.

 _"Same goes for me too!"_ Turtwig shouted. The boy pulled out his first pokeball and released a Bidoof. _"Uh oh! The guy has a Bidoof!"_

"Use Tackle!" The younger boy yelled.

"You heard him Turtwig. Tackle!" Lucas told Turtwig.

The two pokemon met with a head on collision. Turtwig put more force into his attack and launched the Bidoof into a tree, leaving a nasty crack in the wood.

"What?! But how?!" The kid asked with panic.

 _"Because I slay Bidoof for a living. You gotta do better than that!"_

"Bidoof, return...Go Bidoof!" He yelled as he threw out another pokeball with the same pokemon inside.

"...A second one?" Lucas grumbled.

"You betcha! Now use endure!"

"Tackle…" Lucas muttered.

Turtwig ran up and slammed into the Bidoof. It skidded back and glared at the grass type.

 _"Woah...It didn't drop?"_

"Now, hit it with Tackle!" The kid yelled.

"Dodge it and hit him back!" The Bidoof hit Turtwig, catching him off guard. "Quit fooling around! Finish it already."

 _"You don't have to yell at me! I really didn't expect him to just take my best attack like that!"_ Turtwig yelled back at his trainer.

"Can we not do this in the middle of a BATTLE!"

 _"No! You're the one knocking me for messing around but this is hard! I'm tired! I haven't rested ONCE since I lost to Chimchar! Do YOU wanna battle this thing? It's hard!"_ Turtwig snapped.

"Maybe you're just being lazy!" Lucas growled.

 _"LAZY?! ALL YOU DO IS STAND THERE BARKING ORDERS AT ME!"_

"..." The kid and his Bidoof continued watching the seen in front of them with wide eyes.

"YOU ARE SO FREAKING ANNOYING! I SWEAR I WISH YOU DIDN'T TALK!!!" Lucas snarled.

To the younger trainer, all he could hear was Turtwig screaming his own name at his trainer.

"This is so weird to look at…" He muttered.

Lucas huffed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Can you just finish this already before I straight up waste you myself!"

 _"I'd like to see you try it, human…"_ Turtwig muttered before glaring back at his opponent.

"You know the drill. Tackle!" Lucas muttered.

Turtwig banged his head into the confused Bidoof, knocking it out. _"There! I did it! You happy now?!"_

"Dang it! How could I get beaten like this?! We practiced so hard!"

"You lost...Now give me your cash and get the heck outta my way before you end up like your two Bidoof!" Lucas threatened.

"What?! You're actually gonna take my money? I'm just a kid!"

"A kid that lost. Besides, I'm a kid too you know. Plus, you were gonna jack the few dollars I had if I lost so...hand it over!"

The kid muttered a few swears before digging in his pocket. "Hear! Take it you jerk!"

"Only 34 bucks?! Man that's lame. I can't even get lunch with this. Oh well." Lucas pushed the kid out of his way and continued down the route crushing any trainers that attempted to take his cash. That's when he was interrupted by a speeding figure.

"LUCAS!" Yelled Barry.

"Oh geez...What do you want now?" Lucas asked. He wasn't so much angry at him anymore. He was more so just annoyed.

"So pretty much, this is what happened. I was running around in Sandgem looking for the Pokemart. When I found it, I decided to stack up on some pokeballs. Then when I left, I started going up the route to get to Jubilife City. When I got about half way, I found this little blue pokemon running around zapping a couple of people. That's when I thought that I should probably catch and tame it. So, I battled it but he ended up beating Chimchar pretty badly. Had him paralyzed and everything so I had to run back to Sandgem and get him all healed up!"

"...What does that have to do with me?" Lucas asked.

"I was going to ask if you had seen it anywhere..."

"No." Lucas turned and kept walking towards the city.

"Lucas wait!" Barry yelled.

"What is it now?"

"Here, take these." Barry handed him five pokeballs.

"What are these for?"

Barry scratched his head. "Oh...Well you use them to catch wild pokemon and-"

"I know what they do! I'm asking you why you're giving me these?" Lucas grumbled.

"Oh, well I wasn't sure if you had any. Plus if you did want to catch any other Pokemon, you're gonna need those." Barry grinned.

"Hmph! Right…Thanks..." Lucas turned around and continued walking.

"Lucas hang on!" The blonde said.

Lucas sighed with irritation. "What?!" He growled.

"I'll see you around!" Barry grinned widely.

"...Whatever, Barry." The two of them split off into their own directions. Lucas headed closer to Jubilife and Barry continued looking for the blue Pokemon.

"So...Are you gonna actually use those things or what?!" Turtwig asked.

"I don't know, should I?"

"Well as much as it pains me to admit it, I can't handle every battle on my own. We need a team."

"Yeah...you're probably right." Lucas said back to his starter.

"Well we're almost at Jubilife City so we could probably go look around the trees and in the grass for any other pokemon."

"Alright, let's do it."


	3. The Electric Menace

"NO!"

 _"But I want to!"_

"NO! Now shut up already!" Lucas yelled at his starter.

 _"Why are you so mean?"_

"Because I'm stuck with a starter that can't shut up!" Lucas snarled.

 _"I bet it's because that Starly kept pecking you..."_ The Turtwig grumbled as the two continued walking to the gates of Jubilife City. _"Whoa..."_

"This place is a lot bigger than Sandgem…" Lucas muttered.

 _"I kinda like it!"_

"Will you PLEASE go back in you're pokeball!"

 _"WHAT?! NO WAY! IT SMELLS IN THERE! Plus it's SUPER cramped."_

Lucas let out a small growl and continued walking around the large city in search of something to do. He didn't have a map so he had no real clue on where to go from here.

"Maybe I should go and ask for directions or something." He said as he walked over to a man hiding behind a street light and doing a pretty bad job at it. "Hey uh, do you know where I can find a gym leader...or anything for that matter."

"Hush up kid! You're jeopardizing my cover!" The man in the brown trench coat said harshly.

"What?" Lucas turned and saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Dude, I just want directions! Or at least a map…"

"Listen kid. I'm with the international police! I don't do babysitting, so run along now." The man muttered.

"...Is this a prank? It's gotta be a prank." Lucas said to him.

"This is no game young man. I'm dealing with a very serious investigation."

 _"...I say we take his wallet!"_ Turtwig suggested.

Lucas ignored his starter and folded his arms impatiently. "Wow this is getting annoying…"

The grown man sighed and stepped out from his cover. "Fine! If you're going to be so disrespectful to my position as an elite globetrotting officer, then I suppose I'll let you be my junior cadet."

"Excuse me, what?!" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, you'll be my young assistant. Together we can put a stop to Sinnoh's new evil organization."

"Oh geez…" The boy grumbled.

"Are you ready to take part in this investigation?!" The man asked with too much excitement.

"Whatever will get me directions quicker…"

"Excellent! Now, as I've already informed you, I am a member of the international police! My name is...Well my codename is Looker! I'm an elite ranking officer. I'm here in Sinnoh to apprehend a mysterious gang calling themselves Team Galactic."

"...Team Galactic?" Lucas muttered while Turtwig snickered.

"Yes! They are a thieving bunch of criminals that have set up multiple different bases around the region. I'm here to investigate what's going on with this dastardly group and bring them to justice." Looker said with clear passion.

"Right...So can I get those directions now…"

"Why as a matter of fact, I do happen to have this map for you young man." Looker said. He handed Lucas the map before straightening himself out.

"...Thanks."

"Not a problem. Now, I must take my leave young man! Be a good junior cadet and let me know if you see any unusual activity. I'll be in touch!" The man rolled behind another street light before running off.

 _"That guy is a nut."_ Turtwig laughed.

"Freak is more like it." The boy grumbled.

 _"Well, we've got us a map now. Where to?"_

Lucas opened the map and glanced at the multiple different locations. He let out an annoyed sigh when he realized that Jubilife had no gym.

"We're gonna have to do more walking. The closest gym is in Oreburgh City."

 _"Oh...Well, can we at least look around the place?"_

"Is that really such a good idea? We should keep moving. The quicker we get our badges, the better."

 _"Where's the fun in that? We should explore! Ain't this a journey?!"_ Turtwig insisted.

Lucas huffed. "I say we leave!"

 _"I say we stay!"_

"Since when does the freaking pokemon give the trainer orders?!"

 _"Since the trainer could understand the pokemon!"_ Turtwig yelled.

"You're extremely annoying…"

"HEY LUCAS!" Yelled a speeding figure in the distance.

"Speaking of annoying…"

Barry stopped directly in front of Lucas with a fat grin on his face. This irked Lucas even more.

"Yo Lucas! You been to the trainer school yet? It's full of some neat stuff. I learned more about the different status effects that pokemon can-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, I know all of that stuff already Barry. I'm just trying to find my way around this place."

"Oh, well did you try asking for directions?" The blonde asked.

Lucas narrowed his eyes at him before stuffing his hands back into his pockets and started walking away from Barry.

 _"Wow…"_ Turtwig muttered.

"Hey wait up! Was it something I said?" Barry asked.

Lucas continued walking with Barry trailing behind him. This was slowly starting to get on the dark haired boy's nerves.

"Don't you have somebody else to bother or am I just that lucky?!" He asked with blatant sarcasm.

"You're lucky? Cool! People say that I'm pretty lucky too. Then again, I don't really feel all that much more lucky than most people…"

Lucas facepalmed. "I don't care!"

"Sheesh...Are you always this harsh?" Barry said with an annoyed pout.

"No. I only get like that with people that constantly pester me."

"...So does that mean me?"

Lucas growled inwardly and continued stomping away from Barry, only for said boy to resume following him.

 _"This guy is pretty funny!"_ Turtwig chuckled.

"HEY LOOK!" Barry suddenly shouted. "There's Dawn!"

"Absolutely wonderful…"

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late. I was busy catching a few Pokemon when a strange one came out of nowhere and tried to attack me. It was pretty aggressive. It knocked out my Piplup and my Starly in one attack." She said in a saddened tone.

"No way! It's really that strong?! It has to be the one that I tried to battle! I gotta catch it!" Barry exclaimed.

"What did it look like?" Lucas asked.

"It was a small, blue, furry pokemon. It had a thin tail, round shaped ears on the side of its head and was using electric type moves."

Barry from the corner of Lucas' eye seemed to perk up at the description.

Lucas was left in thought. Her description was very familiar to him. He was wondering if he was thinking about the same pokemon. "Dawn, did this particular pokemon have an "X" shaped scar on the left side of its face?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah it did."

Both Lucas' and Barry's eyes widened and he had realized what he had to do. "Turtwig, you up for a little challenge?"

 _"I'm offended that you have to even ask! Of course I am!"_

"Good! Then let's do this!" Lucas grinned.

"Lucas wait! You can't!" Dawn shouted.

"Yeah, what if I wanted it?! I technically saw it first!" Barry chimed in.

Dawn sighed. "No, it's not that. You'd be wasting your time. It ran into Jubilife City. I have no clue where it could be right now."

"Darn! Then we should all split up and search for it. If you see the pokemon then you need to stay on your guard. It's extremely dangerous when its scared. Let me know if you find it." Lucas demanded.

"Why do you get to catch it?" Barry asked with disappointment.

"Because if you try to catch it, it'll fry your freakin' brains out!"

Barry started sweating nervously. "...Okay, good enough point."

Lucas and Turtwig ran off through the city looking around for the Pokemon in question. Much to Lucas' anger, they were having no such luck. They had covered most of the eastern district of the city but couldn't find a single lead. They'd been looking around for about three and a half hours. The sun was setting and they were getting tired. They had asked a couple of people if they had seen it, including the president of Sinnoh's famous watches. After getting three coupons from different clowns, he snagged a watch of his own.

"This is getting more and more irritating with each passing second." Lucas groaned while playing with the blue watch.

 _"Yeah...But at least you got that cool watch."_

"We should probably keep looking." Lucas said.

 _"I wanna go to sleep! Can't we just quit?"_

"No! We need to find him."

 _"Him? How do you know it's a guy? Ya seen it before?"_

"Possibly. The pokemon that Dawn was most likely talking about is a Shinx. Particularly one that I grew up with. My grandfather found it outside of our house. He was taking food from his garden. Instead of getting angry like most people would at a potential pest, my grandfather gave him food. Since that day, the Shinx would come over all the time to see my grandpa. They became good friends. Me and my little sister would play with him all the time."

 _"Well why are you so worried about him being all dangerous? Wasn't he friendly?"_

"That he was. Unfortunately that kindness was only reserved for my family. He truthfully hates humans."

Turtwig was still confused. _"But why? What did people do to him?"_

"His home was destroyed by a couple of lousy contractors. They turned it into a small school in Sandgem. His father was a Luxray that passed away trying stop the destruction of their home. It was left all alone to fend for itself. That's what my grandfather told me." Lucas said while sitting on a nearby street bench.

 _"That sucks. I feel kinda bad for him now."_

"Yeah...My grandfather was the one that practically took care of him. He treated the Shinx like he was a part of our family. I guess when my grandpa passed away, Shinx grew cold and bitter...Sorta like me…"

 _"Oh…"_ Turtwig wasn't sure of what to say. He hadn't experienced anything like that before. He wasn't used to hearing about death.

"Yeah…" Lucas looked up to the orange sky and sighed. It was gonna be dark out soon and he still wasn't sure where the little blue pokemon was.

 _"Well, what now? How are we supposed to find him in this city?!"_ Turtwig was now more determined.

"Not sure. I wish we had a sign or something. This is darn near impossible!" Lucas had noticed something odd. The street lights had suddenly brightened until they exploded, shattering glass all over the street.

 _"What the heck is going on?!"_ Turtwig asked.

"I don't know, but I have a really bad feeling."

The two of them hopped off of the bench and ran to where screams and panicking could be heard. One man, running for his life had bumped into Lucas by accident.

"DUDE! YOU'RE LIKE, RUNNING THE WRONG WAY MAN!" The brown haired man yelled.

"What's going on?" Lucas asked.

"There's like, a crazy bunch of lightning shooting all over the place man! I'm totally freakin' out!"

"Right. Thanks for the info! C'mon Turtwig!"

The two continued running towards the streams of electricity. Buildings were losing power and the streets were going dark with the setting sun. Lucas saw Barry and Dawn hiding behind a brick wall and decided to meet up with them.

"Lucas! Are you seeing this?! It's insane!" Barry yelled.

"Yeah I know! What's going on?"

"That electric type Pokemon is absorbing the city's power supply. It's charging itself up and taking down anything that gets near it." Dawn explained.

"Dude! Even the police can't stop that thing!" A bolt of lightning struck the wall leaving a burnt hole next to Barry. "WE GOTTA GET THE HECK OUTTA HERE!!!"

"No way! I'm not leaving him!" Lucas looked towards the middle of the street. The police sent out a squadron of Growlithe only for the Shinx to knock them all out with blindingly fast, electrically powered Quick Attacks. The officers tried to subdue it but were blasted away by the electrical currents being produced by the Shinx.

Dawn grabbed his arm as he was about to run out there. "Lucas, you'll get yourself killed!"

"I'll be fine! Now stay back and watch Turtwig for me."

 _"I'm coming too! I can help! You're only human! You can't go near that thing!"_

"Sorry buddy, but I gotta say no on that one!" Lucas shoved him in Dawn's arms and ran out towards the middle of the street where the Shinx was attacking.

"Whoa there kid! This is way too dangerous for you to be getting involved in. Just step back and let us handle it." The officer said.

"You don't understand! I know that Pokemon! I have to stop it!" The boy yelled.

"I'm sorry kid but that thing is too dangerous! We tried reasoning with it but it's gone outta control. We're gonna have to put it down." The man said.

"Put it down?! You can't do that!"

"We can, and we will! I'm sorry but we have our orders. Now get the hell outta here kid!" The officer grumbled.

"Tch...Than I guess I'm sorry too." Lucas muttered.

"Wait what?!" The officer yelled before receiving a hard, power packed punch to his solar plexus. He dropped to the ground gasping for breath. The boy took this opportunity to step of him.

Lucas dashed over towards the Shinx, jumping over twelve more officers in the process. He landed right in between the electric type and the police. Up in the sky, a news helicopter could be seen shining a light on the situation.

"HEY KID! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" A blue haired, female officer yelled.

"Sorry ma'am, but this is out of your control. I got it from here!" Lucas told her. He faced the electric type with narrowed yet slightly sympathetic eyes. "Shinx...Sparks! Calm down...It's me buddy. Your friend. Just relax for me."

The blue fur on the pokemon spiked up as the brighy electricity surged around it. The Shinx glared at Lucas as it tried to zap him with an amped up Thunder Shock. Lucas blocked the painful attack and shifted a little closer.

"Open fire on my mark!" The female officer said with a raised hand. Every officer behind the boy aimed their guns at the enraged Pokemon.

"NO!" The boy shouted behind him. He looked forward at the angry little Shinx before moving closer to it with open arms. "Shinx...No...Sparks! Please! It's me. Remember who I am? I'm Lucas." Lucas said.

The pokemon seemed to catch his words for a moment. The electricity was still running wild though. This showed him that it was still ready to attack.

"Kid you need to leave! That Shinx is a threat!" An officer yelled.

"SHUT UP!" Lucas yelled at him. "He's my friend! I won't let you hurt him!"

"That's no ordinary Shinx! It's shouldn't be able to wield so much electricity! It has to go!" The woman yelled.

Sparks didn't take too kindly to that. He snarled and sent out multiple strikes of lightning.

"SHOOT IT!" One man yelled.

"LEAVE IT ALONE!" Lucas shouted. His body shook with silent fury. "Sparks! Listen to me buddy! I'm here as your friend! I won't let them hurt you!"

Sparks only growled. He sent a heavy bolt of lightning at Lucas. It struck the boy head on and pushed him back a bit. He grited his teeth and pressed on.

"How is that boy taking so many shocks?" Someone in the on growing crowd of bystanders asked.

He got about a foot away from Sparks and crouched down. "Hey...Look buddy...Remember this?" Lucas took off his grandfather's old hat and held it in front of him. "See...Remember Luther. He was my grandpa. He was your friend."

"..." He sniffed the old hat and then looked back at me with big, curious eyes. The eyes of an innocent creature.

"You remember don't you?"

The Shinx nodded and nudged his head against Lucas' hand. He then looked at the hat and grew sad. Lucas noticed this and scratched behind his ears just like how his deceased grandfather used to. Sparks teared up a bit and let out a whimper.

The crowd watched the scene with mixed looks. Some seemed sympathetic while others were still scared.

The electricity was still crackling around Sparks as he cried in the boy's arms.

"It's vulnerable now. We have the perfect opportunity to take it down." One officer said.

"We need to do this fast. Officer Jenny, we need to finish this now!" Another one spoke.

"...It's not a threat right now." She said.

"We have our orders!" The man yelled.

The woman looked conflicted. "But it's…It's just..."

"A serious menace! We can't afford to let it run loose again! It's been tormenting three different cities. We need to handle this situation before it gets outta hand once more!"

"We can't just shoot it! It's with a kid!" She yelled.

"We have a good shot. The kid won't be a problem." He told her.

Lucas looked at the small Pokemon in his arms and sighed. His eyes started to water as well.

"I miss him too buddy. He meant the world to the both of us. I'm sorry you're feeling so down but, you don't have to worry anymore. Liz is still at home...I'm still here too! I'll never leave you all alone so don't worry."

 _"D...do you...really mean it?"_ Sparks asked him.

Lucas was slightly taken aback by Sparks' sudden ability to speak to him. "Yeah buddy. I do mean it." Lucas wiped his eyes.

 _"Okay…"_

Lucas sat him down on the ground and looked at him. "Come with me Sparks. Join me on my journey. My grandpa wanted this for me and I'm sure that he would want you to come along too."

 _"Oh...Okay!"_ He said happily.

Lucas pulled out a pOokeball and resized it. "Alright then. Are you ready-"

 ** _~BANG~_**

"NO!" Yelled Officer Jenny.

Time slowed down for Lucas as he stared at the fallen Pokemon before him. He slowly turned his head towards the group of officers.

"...Target neutralized!" The gunner said with pride in his voice.

"I never gave you the go ahead!" The lead police woman shouted.

"What did you just do?!" Lucas shouted. He dropped down and scooped up the fallen Shinx in his arms. "Sparks! SPARKS!!!" There was a bullet hole in his lower abdomen. Lucas looked on in horror as the blood seeped onto his hands.

 _"Lucas…"_ Sparks muttered.

"I'll help you! I swear I will!" Lucas shouted with fear of the worst happening.

"Kid, we had our orders. It was a hostile threat." The officer said to him.

A bright red aura surrounded Lucas as he held the dying Pokemon to his chest. "Why?! I told you that I had it under control!" The boy turned and glared at the man with bright orange eyes. He placed Sparks gently on the ground and stepped closer to the man. "You hurt him! It's only fair for me to hurt you back!" His balled up fists were surrounded by intense flames.

"What? Seriously! Who is this kid?!" The officer asked with fear.

Lucas lifted up his fiery hand and pushed the policeman back sending him straight into a squad car. The boy glared at the multiple armed men and women.

Officer Jenny looked at the boy as flames started to spread all around him. The area began to heat up furiously. This led everyone in the area to sweat profusely. Whether or not it was just the heat was debatable.

"You hurt him! He wasn't bad anymore!" Lucas yelled. He blew a stream of fire from his mouth, causing everyone to back away. "He didn't deserve to get shot!"

"Listen kid! We can save him. Just let me help. I'll take him to Nurse Joy and-"

"NO WAY! I CAN'T TRUST ANY OF YOU!" The boy aimed a flaming fist at the woman.

"I swear." She dropped her handgun and kicked it over to him while raising her hands. "See. You can trust me. I didn't want the Shinx to get hurt either. I'm sorry, but let me help make it right."

"...Fine!" Lucas dropped his hostility and allowed Officer Jenny to walk by and pick up Sparks. "If you try anything, I will-"

"Relax kid. You have my word. I'm just taking him straight to the Pokemon Center. Okay?"

"I'm coming with you." Lucas grumbled.

"That's fine by me." The woman nodded.

The two walked through the crowd and towards one of the police cars. When they got near it, a man in a black trenchcoat stopped them.

"You can't Jenny! You know what the chief will think if you go against orders! You'll get put on probation. Just let it go." The man told her.

"The chief can kiss my ass Ryan. I didn't sign up for the cadets to murder small Pokemon like this one. It was an unnecessary act of cruelty. This little boy clearly cares about it, so who are we to take it away from him?" She said.

The man sighed. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'll gladly deal with my punishment when the time comes. For now, I'm going to drive this little guy to the Pokemon Center and get him all patched up." She looked at Lucas as she handed him the injured Shinx. "Hop on in kid. It's not too far from here."

"Right." He muttered. Lucas got in the back seat of the car with Sparks resting in his lap.His breathing was feint but still there.

Jenny got into the driver's seat and slowly pulled off. "So what's your name kid?"

"...It's Lucas."

"Well Lucas, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about what happened. I want you to understand that I didn't want this. In my honest opinion, I don't believe that pokemon should be shot in such a way. I mean, yeah we may need them for food and clothing sometimes, but this...It was just brash and very unnecessary."

Lucas looked at her with a softer expression. "Yeah. I'm fully aware."

"So how old are you?" She asked him.

"I'm twelve."

Her eyes widened a bit. "Wow, only twelve?! What was that stuff you did with the fire type moves? I've never seen that before."

"..." Lucas didn't answer.

"Oh, is it something personal to you? If so, I won't press you about it."

"...It's something that I sometimes wish that I didn't have." He said with bitterness.

Jenny only glanced at his frowning face in the rearview mirror. "We're almost there Lucas. How's the little guy holding up?"

"He's still breathing but it's in really short breaths."

"Make sure you keep him close to you. He lost quite a bit of blood. We wanna keep him nice and warm." She said.

"Okay…"

Moments later, Jenny had stopped the police car in front of the Pokemon Center of Jubilife City.

Lucas and Jenny moved quickly towards the entrance of the place. When they made it inside, the building was fairly dark. The only light source had been a singular candle on the front desk.

"Hello and welcome to the ]okemon Center. How may I help you?" Nurse Joy said to them.

"Please miss, you have to help my friend Sparks!" Lucas pleaded. He placed Sparks on the countertop.

Nurse Joy looked at the unconscious Pokemon with shock and horror. "Oh my gosh! What happened?!"

"He got shot…" Jenny told her.

"Oh no." Joy looked over the wounds and saw that it was still bleeding. "Give me a minute. I can stitch this wound closed and clean it up a little but that's all I can really do for now. Once all the power went out, I hadn't been able to used the healing machine."

Lucas held up a hand as small amounts of electricity appeared around it. He looked at the Nurse while she set up her hands on equipment.

"Where's your generator?" He asked.

"It's downstairs. Why? Are you able to restore the power?"

"Yeah, I can. You patch that wound and I'll go take care of the power." The boy suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Please watch your step." The nurse nodded.

Lucas and Officer Jenny walked down the dark stairwell. Lucas used a small amount of fire in order to light the way.

"It's so strange to see a little boy like you using Pokemon moves like that."

Lucas shrugged. "Strange is putting it lightly."

"So can your parents do that too or is it just you?"

"My dad never showed me if he could or not so I can only guess that he can't. As for my mother, I never really saw her all that much. After my sister was born, she passed away. I was still pretty little. I'm honestly not sure what happened to her. In regards to my powers, she might've been the one to give me them." Lucas told her.

They made it downstairs and started looking around for the generator. Given the darkness, it was fairly difficult to find even with Lucas' fire.

Jenny decided to continue with her questions. She found the boy more and more fascinating as she learned about him. "So what exactly are those abilities? They look identical to the moves that a Pokemon would use."

"You ask a lot of questions lady…"

"Oh! I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. It's just that I've never seen a kid do things like that before. I'm a little curious is all."

Lucas sighed. "When I was younger, my dad would run tests on me. Apparently I'm connected to p

Pokemon in some way. I'm not one hundred percent sure on how but the scientists at the lab think that it's some sort of humanistic evolution. Man finally being able to gain the typings of Pokemon...Or something like that, I don't really know."

"So you can use any type? So far I've only seen you use fire and as of now, electric type moves." She said.

"Well along with some rock type moves, those three are the only types that I know how to use. I'm not particularly great at it yet but I can at least use them to some extent."

Jenny was taken back by his words. Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed it. Incredible...How long did you say you've been able to use them?"

"My dad said that I always had this power. He would say that I was gifted...That I was separate from the other kids my age. I was born lucky…"

"Well you do have extraordinary abilities so I'd say that he was right."

Lucas glared at her. "You don't get it! These stupid powers haven't ever done much but kept me isolated and got me into trouble!"

"What do you mean?"

"..." Lucas opened his mouth to speak but decided not to.

Jenny only looked at him with confusion. "So is it-"

"Forget about it. It's not important."

They roamed around in the dark for a few more minutes until Lucas finally found the generator. He lifted up his left hand and closed his eyes.

"Should I stand back?" Officer Jenny asked him with an uneasy feeling in her gut.

"Do whatever you want. I really don't care. Just don't get in my way!"

"Uh...Right…" She backed away slowly while Lucas placed his hand on the generator.

"Thundershock!" He said out loud. Electricity moved from his glowing hand and onto the generator. The machine's motor started back up and soon began running once again. Seconds later, the lights flickered back on signaling that the power was back. "There. That should just about do it."

"Nice work kid!"

Lucas ignored her praise and walked back upstairs, determined to see how Sparks was doing.

Nurse Joy saw the boy and smiled. "Thank you so much for your help. It looks like everything is working again."

"How's Sparks?!"

"I managed to clean and stitch up the wound. However, he'll need a bit of time in the recovery station in order to stabilize his condition. Do you have his pokeball with him?"

Lucas scratched the back of his head and looked away. "You see...I haven't actually caught it yet." He said.

"Hmm...I see. Well do you still plan on doing so?" She asked.

Lucas took out a pokeball and stared at it. He remembered Sparks agreeing to join him. This made his decision much more clear to him.

"Yeah...I'm still capturing him. He's one of my oldest friends. I'll take good care of him."

Nurse Joy nodded. "Then go on ahead and do what you gotta do."

Lucas stepped forward and tapped Sparks with the ball, capturing him with no trouble. He looked at Nurse Joy and handed her the pokeball.

"Please save him." He begged her.

"Don't worry young man. You've done your part. Now you can relax and let me do mine."

"Okay."

Lucas and Officer Jenny sat down in the seats. Jenny put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"I think it's sweet of you to go through so much trouble for this Pokemon."

Lucas brushed her hand off. "If anything, I'm doing it because my grandfather cared about it so much. Don't get it twisted lady!" He knew he was lying but he felt like he was getting too close to the woman.

"Right…" Jenny wasn't buying his words in the slightest.

The front doors slid open and revealed Barry and Dawn with Turtwig in her hands.

 _"LUCAS!"_ Turtwig jumped from Dawns arms and ran up to his trainer. _"Don't ever leave me like that again! Do you know how worried I was?! I'd be a laughing stock! The first starter whose trainer dies on day one!"_

"Wow...Love you too buddy…" Lucas grumbled.

"DUDE!" Barry yelled much to Lucas' dismay. "WHAT WAS THAT FIRE THING YOU DID?!"

"The mystical power called _none of your freaking_ _business!_ Gosh _..._ "

"Oh come on! It was so cool! You were all like, BOOM! HOW DARE YOU!!! YOU WILL PAY!!!" Barry poorly imitated. "It was so awesome!"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Sure Barry…"

Dawn looked at him as if inspecting his physical features. "How did you even do that? You were like some sort of fire type Pokemon."

The boy grew flustered at how close she was. "W-what?! I don't know! It just happened."

"Does that happen often?" She asked with wonder in her eyes.

"Not really...Look, can we stop with all the questions!"

Jenny smiled at the kids. "Well, it looks like things are under control." She got up from her seat and walked to the entrance. "You all be safe on your journey. Oh and Lucas…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad that I met you. You're a very unique little boy. I'm expecting a lot from you. Take care." She said.

The boys eyes widened a bit. His lips curved upward in the smallest of ways. He closed his eyes and looked away with his arms folded.

"Yeah, whatever…" He grumbled.

"See you kids around. Stay out of trouble."

Jenny walked to the sliding door and immediately saw a huge crowd of people. Reporters and journalists surrounded the entrance. The female officer was immediately bombarded with questions.

"Where's the flaming boy?!"

"How's the electric menace?!"

"Who's the fire type kid?"

"Are you regretting your previous actions that could have put hundreds of people at risk?!"

"Where is the boy?"

"Are you in charge of the brutal assault on the Shinx?"

"How did the police take to the little boys actions?"

"Will the boy be put into custody?!"

"What actions will the police take after not only stopping the lightning thief, but also discovering a boy that uses Pokemon moves?"

Jenny looked around at the multiple people with confusion. She did not like the press one bit.

The kids heard the commotion from inside. Lucas instinctively groaned with irritation.

"Great...One day into my journey and I'm already a headline for the local news…Hopefully they go away so I can leave this place."

"Man you're so lucky!" Barry whined.

Lucas gave him a harsh glare. "Seriously?"

Dawn looked at the two of then with a thought in her mind. "Hey Lucas."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Well um…" She was trying to get the boy to open up a bit. She was racking her brain for a possible question.

"...Are you gonna say it or what?"

"Oh, well I was just wondering how you were holding up. I've never really seen you so upset before." Dawn said to him.

"Well for starters, I hadn't found a single thing in this dumb city that's worth my time, my grandfather's favorite Pokemon got hurt and now the media is questioning my existence. This day has been terrible! I want nothing more than to get the heck outta here Dawn!" Lucas told her as he rubbed his temples.

"Lucas!" Nurse Joy called out to him.

He lifted his head up and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"You'll be happy to know that Sparks is in good health." The woman said.

Lucas grabbed the pokeball from the counter and smiled at it. "Thank you so much!"

"It was no trouble at all." She said.

Lucas released the Sparks from his capsule and Lucas stared with a grin as he looked around.

 _"Uh...Where am I? What happened?"_ He asked Lucas.

"You're at the Pokemon Center. You got hurt real bad. I'm...I'm just glad you're okay."

 _"Right...So what happens now? Are those people still out there?"_

"Don't worry about that. Now, we get the heck outta this dumb city. There's no gym here so this place is virtually useless." Lucas told him.

 _"What's a gym?!"_

"I'll explain on the way to Oreburgh City." Lucas told him.

"Wait! The first gym is in Oreburgh?!" Barry asked.

"Yeah…" Lucas said.

"Then what am I waiting for?! See ya!" He took off towards the next location without any sort of hesitation in his step.

Lucas sighed. "Well I guess that's my cue to head out too." He stood up and fixed his grandfather's beret. He noticed Dawn staring at him and decided to ask her something that was on his mind. "Hey. So are you traveling with Barry or are you like, solo...or something...Not that I care or anything like that!"

"Barry's way too fast for me to keep up with him so I was gonna go it alone. Why do you ask?"

Lucas' face grew a deep shade of pink. "Well...If you want...you can join me and my team."

Dawn looked at him and smiled. "That'd be great Lucas...but I can't."

Lucas looked at her with a slightly hurt expression. "What?! Why not?"

"I still don't really know how I want my journey to really go yet. I'm not sure of what I wanna be in the future. You and Barry already have your own goals. I don't really want to get in the way and slow you guys down." She said.

"I...but…" He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I think I'll stay here and take in the sights of the city. Once the blackout happened it put a pause on my sightseeing with Piplup."

"Right...Well if you ever change your mind, the offer still stands." He told her.

She nodded. "Thanks Lucas." They stared at each other with silence being a key factor. That was until Dawn decide to speak up as she looked away. "You should probably get going. Barry's got a pretty nice head start."

"Yeah...I'll see you around Dawn." He turned and walked out of the Pokemon Center leaving Dawn star struck.

"...See ya." She said to him.

Once outside, Lucas saw flashing lights and cameras. Hundreds of people were asking him a series of questions. He looked around and glared at all of them. He picked up Sparks and Turtwig before leapt up into the air. With a clean front flip, he landed about five feet away. He took this moment to dash out of the city.


	4. Lump of Coal

"Crap…" Lucas muttered under his breath.

 _"What's the matter Lucas?"_ Turtwig asked.

"Well apparently route 203 leads to a cave…"

Sparks looked up at him. _"Is that a bad thing?"_

"Well, not necessarily…I just...don't really like dark places..." Lucas said.

 _"What? Why not? The dark isn't scary!"_ Turtwig said to him.

Sparks walked over to him with an understanding look. _"You may hold me for comfort if you wish to. The softness of my fur can soothe your nerves."_

"...Uh no thanks bud." Lucas said.

 _"I don't see why you'd have a fear of the dark if you have me and Sparks with you. Mostly me though…"_ Turtwig said to him.

"You don't understand! It was a long time ago Turtwig! I was just a little kid when my dad asked my to 'channel' my dark type powers. Needless to say, it didn't end too well."

 _"W-what happened?"_ Sparks asked.

Lucas sighed and recalled the very first and last day that he had tried to use dark type moves.

-Six Years Ago-

"No!" The six year old Lucas yelled at the many scientists.

"It's only for a little bit Lucas. We just need to see if this'll work." Rowan said sympathetically.

"But I don't wanna go in there. It's dark and scary and what if something gets me?"

"You'll be fine, boy! Now hurry inside! This is only the first test." Gregory said.

"B...but…"

"Lucas. NOW!" His father demanded.

Lucas swallowed down hard and slowly moved towards the opened door. He summoned all of his bravery and courage and stepped inside of the small dark room. The only light being from the other side of the door.

"T-this isn't so bad…" Lucas muttered to himself. That's when the door had abruptly shut behind him. His eyes snapped wide open as he ran back and pounded his little fists on the now closed door. "NO PLEASE! LET ME OUT!!!"

"..." Nobody answered him.

The boy sobbed as he dropped to his knees. The darkness engulfed him completely. He was alone in a room that he knew nothing about. He was scared and just wanted to go back home to his grandfather.

 ** _"Hey!"_** Said a voice behind him.

Lucas wiped his eyes and looked around. "Who's there?"

 ** _"It's okay...I'm a friend…"_** The voice said.

"Who are you?" Lucas asked.

 ** _"I'm whoever you want me to be."_**

"..." Lucas was hesitant at first. He looked around but only saw more pitch black darkness.

 ** _"Come now! No need to be shy."_** Two red eyes appeared and stared directly at Lucas. **_"I'm still here. I won't leave you alone."_**

"I'm scared...I don't know what to do. I don't know how to use these powers. I'm just so...lost…"

 ** _"You're lost...But I found you! You and I are connected. We're like siblings! I'll keep you safe when you're scared or alone in the dark."_**

Lucas stared into the ominous red eyes. "You promise?"

 ** _"I SWEAR!"_**

-Present-

 _"...So you were locked in a dark room and made a strange and creepy imaginary friend?"_ Turtwig asked.

"IMAGINARY?! IT WAS REAL!!!"

 _"Sure it was…"_

"I'm this close to locking you away in your pokeball."

 _"Alright alright! I'll stop. For now…"_ The grass type grumbled.

They walked inside of the dark cave with Lucas using a little fire to light the way. They had briefly stopped and saw a group of Zubat flapping around the place. They seemed to notice their presence and decided to dive at them.

 _"Oh jeez!"_ Turtwig yelled.

"Sparks. You mind handling this?"

He nodded. _"S-stand aside."_ Sparks stepped forward.

"Hit em' with a spark...Sparks!" Lucas shouted.

The Shinx jumped up to the Zubat and shocked them all into submission, clearing a path for the three of them.

Sparks landed on his four paws and stared at Lucas. _"There! They've been dealt with. D-did I do good?"_

 _"Meh…"_ Turtwig grumbled.

"I'd say you did great!" Lucas patted him on the top of his head.

They all continued trying to navigate around the dark cave in search for the exit.

 _"Guys! I think I found the way out!"_ Turtwig yelled.

"Better not be more rocks!"

Turtwig glared. _"Come see for yourself."_

Lucas looked at the opening and grinned. "Nice job! We can finally get outta here."

Turtwig turned to Sparks and gave him a smug look. _"Top that!"_

Sparks glared at him. _"Watch me!"_

 _"I will!"_ Turtwig huffed.

 _"Good! Wouldn't want you to miss it!"_

 _"Whatever!"_

"Hey! Knock it off, will ya?" Lucas said with an annoyed tone as he continued walking towards the exit of the cave.

Before he could step outside, a group of campers stepped out and blocked his path.

"Not so fast young one! You can't just go into the city without knowing the hidden move, rock smash." The fat man said.

"...Excuse me?" Lucas questioned.

"The hidden move, rock smash! There'll be times when rocks get in your way and you might just...have to...What in tarnation are you doing boy?"

Lucas looked at the rock in front of him and glared before punching it into nothing but rubble.

"Rock smash...Seems like I've already gotten the hang of it." The boy shrugged.

"I...But you…" The man along the two kids next to him were stupefied by Lucas' display of power.

"So...You mind stepping aside?" He asked.

"G...go right on ahead…"

When they all walked outside, they were all met with the sight of Oreburgh City.

Turtwig went to take a big whiff of the 'fresh" air only to inhale a good deal of smog.

" _What the?! Why_ *cough* _does it hurt to breath?!"_

Lucas looked at his map and read the description of the city. "...This city is apparently known for its mining system and tons of ore, hence the name OREburgh City."

 _"Well we've been here a grand total of twenty seconds and I already hate this place!"_

Sparks nodded. _"It IS quite unpleasant here…"_

"Look guys, we're only here for the stupid badge so suck it up and come on."

They all walked down a flight of stairs and saw a guy with a blue hat on. He walked up to them and grinned.

"How's it going? I'm Chip and welcome to Oreburgh City!"

"Sup." Lucas said plainly.

"You're a trainer right?" Chip asked.

"Uh yeah. It's kinda why I'm here right now."

"How many badges ya got?"

Lucas patted himself down. "Hmm, last I checked...None."

"Well then why don't we go do something about that! Come on. Follow me!" Chip walked deeper into the city with Lucas and his duo trailing behind.

They walked for about fifteen minutes until they reached a large building with a brown rooftop.

"Is this the gym?" Lucas asked.

"Sure is. Hey look! Someone's already there!" Chip said pointing to a blonde kid that stood at the front door.

 _"HEY! IT'S BARRY!"_ Turtwig yelled. Lucas groaned while Sparks growled. _"What's he outside for?"_

Chip turned to Lucas. "Is that guy your friend? He's pretty twitchy and seems oddly impatient."

"I don't know that guy…"

Barry seemed to take notice of Lucas and ran over to him. He wasted no time pointing an accusing finger at him. "LUCAS! It's about time you got here! I outta fine you for your tardiness!'

Lucas glared. "What?! You never even told me to-"

"Geez you're so slow dude. AND WHERE IS DAWN?! Don't tell me she's even slower than YOU! Man what is with you guys?" Barry said while cutting him off.

"...Okay, so why are you-"

"Anyway! The gym leader isn't here right now. He got into an argument with some lady and she stormed off and I guess he's trying to apologize to her because he left to go follow her." Barry cut him off again.

Lucas took a deep breath and tried to relax himself. "So where did-"

"I'm pretty sure he went to the mines...Hey wait! Where ya goin' Lucas?"

Lucas decided to turn and head to the mines in order to keep himself from murdering Barry in cold blood.

Once the team of three reached the mines, they were greeted by a few men that were hard at work with a few Machop at their sides.

"I'm already knowing that this is gonna be very annoying…I just get that feeling that tells me something's gonna happen." Lucas grumbled.

Lucas continued forward with his team by his side. They moved deeper into the mines until they saw a red haired man in a grey jumpsuit and a bright red miner's helmet. He was conversing with a brown haired woman about something that seemed to make her very angry.

"Why won't you just support me on this?! You know how important running the gym is to me!" The man said.

The woman scoffed. "Important to who?! You or your father?"

"I have to show him that I can do this on my own. That I can run the gym AND watch over the mine at the same time!"

The woman turned away from him. "Roark, this isn't gonna work! You're constantly busy with the gym while the miners are left unsure about their leader because he's never here!"

Roark sighed and rubbed his temples. "Arianna please! You're not making this any easier on me with your constant nagging!"

"You know what Roark? Screw you! Get the hell out of here and go back to your stupid gym!"

"Can't we just find some sort of compromise? You know that I can't abandon my duties as the gym leader!" Roark protested.

"You mean like how you abandoned the mine or like how you abandoned me?" She asked bitterly.

"THIS ISN'T EASY ON ME EITHER! I'M TRYING!" Roark snapped.

"NOT HARD ENOUGH! NOT FOR ME AND CERTAINLY NOT FOR THIS CITY!" Arianna yelled back.

"...Uh, you guys need a minute...or two…" Lucas said with uncertainty. Both young adults quit their bickering and looked at the child. "I'm Lucas just so you know."

"Oh uh...Hey there Lucas. The names Roark." The man introduced himself.

"I'm Arianna." The woman bowed.

"So if I heard correctly...Then that means that YOU'RE the gym leader. Right?" Lucas said while pointing at Roark.

"That's right kid! I'm the Oreburgh City gym leader! You looking for a match?"

"Well duh! That's why I'm in this smog filled town! Can we make this quick? I'm pretty sure Barry already left to go to the next gym." Lucas huffed.

"Huh? Oh you mean that twitchy blonde guy!"

"Yep that pretty much describes him…" Lucas grumbled.

"Not to be rude, but Roark has a responsibility! In the mines!" Arianna growled with her arms crossed.

"Darn! How long is that gonna take?!"

"Well, he needs to push out twelve hundred pounds of coal by the end of today to meet this week's quota. That might not be done for quite a while."

"URGH! Fine! I'll give you guys a hand but after this, I want my match."

"Uh...ok sure…" Roark shrugged.

"WHAT?! Absolutely not! He's a kid! He can't go in there! He'll hurt himself!" Arianna yelled.

"Relax lady. I'll be fine." Lucas pushed past them and walked down into lower levels of the Oreburgh City mineshaft. He saw multiple different machines that were drilling and collecting coal.

"Hey! Who let a kid down here?!" One man said.

"Wait, wasn't he on the news just now?" Another one spoke.

"All of you...Step to the side!" Lucas shouted before moving toward a wall filled with coal. He slid his hand around, looking for a weak spot. When he found it, he thrusted his fist deep into the wall and popped out several large chunks of the black rock.

"Hundreds pounds down...Eleven hundred to go!"

After about fifteen minutes of 'excavating' the coal, Lucas made his way back over to Roark and Arianna.

"I...I can't believe it...All that coal in under an hour...How is this possible?!" The woman said in awe.

"Hey, if pokemon trainer doesn't work out, you could be one hell of a miner." Roark chuckled.

"I don't care about dirt and some stupid rocks! I just want my badge!" Lucas barked out with annoyance.

"Sheesh kid...You're taking life way too seriously. Regardless, a deal's a deal. Meet me at the gym and I'll show you the power of rock type pokemon!" Roark said with a grin.

"Oh great...More rocks…Whatever! Lets get this over with."

"I'll see you there kid!" Roark sped off in the direction of the gym with Arianna following him.

 _"So is that the next move?"_ Turtwig asked.

"Guess so. Let's not waste any time. Come on!" Lucas shouted to his two pokemon.

-The Oreburgh City Gym Entrance-

"He specializes in rock type combat. Rock types have a weakness to water, fighting, ground, steel and grass types."

 _"Which means Sparky over here might as well just wait outside because this is gonna be light work for me!"_ Turtwig boasted.

Sparks growled and got in his face. _"Say something else and I'll rip that leaf off the top of your dome!"_

 _"I'd like to see you try!"_

Sparks scoffed. _"As you wish!"_

"Knock it off! Both of you!" Lucas yelled. They both ceased their bickering and looked up at him. "Look Sparks, I won't lie to you...Turtwig is gonna be running point on this one. His type advantage is just too reliable. I'm putting you at reserve."

 _"Tch...To be benched because of some petty type advantage? This is such crap! I trust my own strength! Not the strength of type effectiveness!"_

"Relax Sparks. You'll have your time to shine. I promise you that. And don't think of it as being benched. Think of it more as you being saved as our hidden weapon!" Lucas said with a grin.

Turtwig pouted. _"More like wild, defective weapon…"_

"You! Shush!" Lucas glared.

 _"You promise to let me fight?"_ Sparks asked.

"I swear! On my trainer's honor."

 _"Alright fine. I'll play along…"_

Lucas smiled and petted Sparks softly. "Good. Now lets win this badge so we can leave this dumb place and probably never come back."

They all walked inside of the large building and saw Roark waiting for them. He smile and waved the gym trainers to the side.

"So glade you could make it!" He said.

Lucas stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared Roark down with a serious face. "Hope you got another badge back there because I'm not losing to you!"

"Love the confidence kid. Now, tell me something. How many badges do you have again?"

"It's about to be one." The boy said back.

Roark chuckled. "Right. Well since that's the case, I'll go a little bit easy on you."

"I don't need to be catered to! We can handle whatever you throw at us." Lucas yelled.

"HA! Unless you've got a super effective lengedary pokemon hidden somewhere in that bag of yours, I don't see you beating my eight badge team." Roark grinned.

"What are you talking about?!"

"All gym leaders have set teams to use on certain trainers. Whether you're just starting as a trainer or if you've gained eight badges. This makes things more fair in a sense."

"So I can't battle you at your fullest unless I have every badge?" Lucas asked.

"Trust me...It wouldn't be much of a battle if you tried now. A gym battle is supposed to test your skill with your team. It shows how far you've come on your journey. You're strong as it is kid. I mean, moving all that coal ain't exactly easy. You have power but that's not the only thing in a pokemon journey. Youve gotta use your head too. You may not be fighting my strongest team, but you're still gonna have to face my years of experience and my knowledge in battle." Roark explained.

"Right. I get it now. It's not just the strength in battle. It's how you use it that counts!"

Roark grinned. "There you go!"

"Alright! I'm ready when you are!" Lucas said. He was feeling a tingling sensation in his body. He felt...excited even.

"Then let's go! Geodude!" He threw a pokeball and a small, round, rock pokemon appeared in the center of the rocky arena.

Lucas looked at Turtwig. "You know what to do."

 _"Of course I do! Grass all day!"_

Lucas nodded. "Go Turtwig! Use Withdrawal "

Turtwig stepped up and stared at the Geodude with a determined look. He wasted no time and used Withdrawal.

"Gotta keep him fighting for as long as possible. I don't know how many pokemon he has but I know that I only have two. Turtwig needs to take out as many as he can before Sparks." He pulled out his pokedex and scanned the Geodude. "Ground and rock? That'll be easy for Turtwig but difficult for an electric type. Assuming that he has more rock AND ground types, Sparks only has his quick attack to rely on and normal type moves are weak on rock types."

Sparks looked at his trainer as he formed plans to himself. He decided to watch the fight in order to form his own strategy.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!"

The rock type ripped a small boulder from the ground and chucked it at Turtwig.

"Smash through it with Tackle and used Razor Leaf!" Lucas yelled.

Turtwig charged into the rock, reducing it to nothing but rubble and hit the Geodude up close with a barrage of leaves, critically injuring it.

"So you raised its defense so that going through the rocks wouldn't be a problem. I'm impressed. Geodude! Stealth Rock!"

Multiple small rock buried themselves underground. This confused both Lucas and his team.

"Finish it off Turtwig!" Lucas yelled.

Turtwig swung another wave of sharp leaves at the rock type, knocking it out.

"That seemed a little too easy for you. Let's kick it up a bit!" Roark grinned.

"By all means."

"Onix! Let's go!" He tossed out another pokeball and out came a large serpent made of rocks.

"Whoa?! That thing is huge!" The boy muttered.

Sparks tried to keep his wits about him but was still was left in awe. Turtwig was scared at first but remembered that he was small so he should've been faster.

 _"I can do this! I still have the advantage!"_ Turtwig said to himself.

"Onix! We need to take away that defense! Use screech!" The Onix blasted out a large burst of high pitched noise causing Turtwig to drop his guard. "Now, Rock Throw!"

Onix tossed another rock that slammed into Turtwig and high speed.The grass type brushed it off and used a Razor Leaf. The Onix took the attack head on, but was still able to hang tough.

"Stealth Rock!" More little rocks went underground while Turtwig glared.

"Razor Leaf!" Lucas shouted.

"NO WAY KID! ONIX, ROCK THROW!" Roark shouted.

Another large rock smashed against Turtwigs small body. He flew back and hit the ground hard.

Turtwig looked extremely winded after the last attack. He slowly got up and glared.

"Turtwig, Razor Leaf!"

Turtwig unleashed another wave of leaves that managed to finally put down the rock and ground type.

"Well well well...Looks like you're two for two. Time for the finale! Cranidos it time!" He threw out his last pokeball. A dark colored jurassic Pokemon appeared and roared with the will to fight.

"Whoa! What is that?!" Lucas scanned it in his dex and saw something that made his eys go wide. Gears started turning in his head as he started making plans.

"Cranidos, Headbut!"

"Turtwig, Tackle!"

Both ran at each other and collided with bone crushing impact. Cranidos brushed off Turtwigs Tackle and started scraping his foot against the ground, ready to charge.

"Crap! Turtwig's running outta steam. Withdrawal!" Lucas shouted at his starter.

 _"Y-yeah!"_ Turtwig huddled up into a more defensive position in order to raise his defense.

Roarked grinned. "THAT WON'T WORK! Cranidos, use Leer!" Cranidos glared hit bright red eyes at Turtwig, causing him to shake nervously. "Headbutt!"

"GET OUTTA THERE TURTWIG!"

 _"RUN!"_ Sparks yelled.

Turtwig hopped to the side, avoiding the headbutt. He then took off running in order to gain distance.

"Cranidos is pretty fast. Running won't do you much good." Roark smirked. "PURSUIT! NOW!"

As Turtwig ran, the Cranidos appeared directly in front of him with a mean look on his face. He spun around and whacked Turtwig with his tail sending him back a few feet.

" _I...can't lose to...anyone...Not...again…"_ Turtwig glared as he tried to get up. He struggled multiple times but wouldn't give in.

"Turtwig that's enough. You've done your job better than I could've hoped. Take a rest." Lucas said.

 _"NO! I don't...want to disappoint you again…"_

"What? No dude! I'm super proud of you right now! You kicked butt out there. I don't want you to over exert yourself!"

 _"NO! I'll fight as long as I'm...Still standing!"_ He stood up and glared at the Cranidos.

 _"Hmph…"_ Sparks nodded with approval.

"Fine. If you insist. Hit him with Razor Leaf!" Lucas yelled.

Turtwig jumped up and tossed out another stream of leaves that made direct contact with the rock type.

Cranidos skidded back a bit and seemed hurt until Roark called out for another Headbutt that sent Turtwig spiraling to the floor unable to battle.

Lucas smiled and returned him back to the pokeball.

"You did amazing for your first real gym battle. You deserve a little break." He looked at Sparks who was looking fired up to finish the job. "You got this!"

 _"Yeah...I can do this!"_ Sparks jumped out into center of the arena and looked at his opponent. _"I WILL beat you!"_

"Alright Sparks lets start this off with a-"

 _"AAAAAARRRGH!!!"_ Sparks roared while in pain. Multiple rocks flew up from the ground and clocked the Shinx all over.

"What the heck happened?!" Lucas asked.

"My backup plan! Stealth rock will bombard any opponent that doesn't pay attention to them. I made sure to set them before the end so that whenever you decided to switch, it'd work it's magic! Now your Shinx ain't looking to hot."

"Darn it all! You still good buddy?!"

 _"I'm...f-fine...Just tell me what to do!"_

"Alright! Thundershock!" Lucas yelled.

Sparks looked back with confusion. "But won't that be ineffective?"

"No, it won't be. It's like you said earlier. Trust in your own strength buddy!" Lucas winked.

 _"Right! I'm ready to go!"_

"SPARKS! USE THUNDERSHOCK!" Lucas yelled.

Sparks charged up an ample amount of electricity before shooting it forward at Cranidos.

"Dodge it and use Headbutt!" Roark commanded.

Cranidos sidestepped the shock and charged forward with his head as if he were a spear.

"Counter with quick attack!"

Using the sudden boost in speed, Sparks swerved out of the way. He ran around Cranidos and bashed him with a brutal charge to the back. The Cranidos attempted to swing his tail but missed due to Sparks' enhanced speed.

"Cranidos! Pursuit! NOW!"

"JUMP!!!" Lucas yelled!.

Sparks jumped up twenty feet into the air in order to avoid the attack from Cranidos.

"DO IT NOW! THUNDERSHOCK!!!"

 _"KYAAAAAAAAAH!!!"_ Sparks rained down a huge burst of electricity on top of Cranidos. The lightning hit the rock type hard, causing him to hit the ground.

"What the hell?! Why was that Thundershock so strong?!" Roark asked. "Cranidos, you okay?"

The rock type staggered around a bit before being engulfed in static. He was no longer able to move."

"YES!" Lucas shouted. "Now it's time to end this! Quick attack!"

Sparks zipped around and landed multiple different hits on the immobilized Cranidos. He finished the combination off with a final Thundershock to put the rock type down.

"Damn…" Roark recalled his pokemon and sighed.

"Awesome job Sparks!" Lucas praised.

Sparks felt a huge boost of pride as he watched his opponent fall. _"I did it. I REALLY DID IT!"_

Roark clapped his hands and smiled. "Excellent job Lucas! I must say, that was a phenomenal battle. I must compliment you on your decision to use electric type moves on Cranidos. Most people are often to put off by the fact that Onix and Geodude are part ground without knowing that Cranidos is only a rock type and a fast one at that."

"Yeah, when I figured that out, I was ready to switch out Turtwig in order to give Sparks some time to battle. If things went south then I'd still have my grass type. I guess Turtwig was just too stubborn…" Lucas shrugged.

"Regardless of the situation, you still managed to prove your worth as a trainer. For that, I'd like to reward you with your first ever badge. The Coal badge."

He handed it to Lucas and smiled. "Congrats kid. You guys earned it. Also, take this." He handed Lucas a shiny disk.

"What is it?"

"That's a technical machine. Aka TM. You can use it to teach a certain move to one of your pokemon."

"Really? What move?"

"This is TM76. It'll teach Stealth Rock."

"Really?! Thanks Roark!"

He adjusted his glasses and grinned."You've got potential kid. Keep advancing and make sure we get to battle again. Next time I'll bring out the big guns!" He said as he shook Lucas' hand.

"Oh yeah! You know where I can snag my next badge?" Lucas asked.

"Hmm...I'd say Eterna City is your best bet. Gardenia is the leader. She specializes with grass types. Your boy Turtwig may be able to learn a lot over there."

Lucas nodded. "Okay...So how do I get there?"

"Head back through Jubilife City and go north. You'll hit Floaroma Town. When you do, keep going north past the Valley Windworks until you make it to Eterna Forest. Once you get there, be very careful. There's a lot of bug types there. I recommend you buy some potions and antidotes or else it'll get ugly for you." Roark informed.

"Okay, cool. I'll make sure to do that."

"Good. Anyways once you get through the forest, you're pretty much there." He said.

Lucas nodded. "Alright! Thanks for your help Roark."

"No sweat kid. Take care of yourself."

Once outside, Lucas and Sparks walked outside and made their way to the Pokemon Center and healed up Turtwig. They all decided to stay at a fairly cheap and modest hotel for the rest of the night and planned to to leave Oreburgh in the morning.


	5. Conflicted Backtracking

"Sir! Have you seen the news?!"

"It must be him! The one that you were looking for! He was in Jubilife City! He was using fire type moves! It has to be him. No other little boy could do such a thing." Said a woman.

"It'd be wise to go out and hunt him down while we still have a trace of him. He may not have gotten far." Said a man.

"Sir! Please say something! This could be the opening that you've been waiting for. Your six years of searching are over! We've found him! We must make our move! I'll make preparations right away and-" Another woman said.

"Mars...Calm yourself. There's no need to make any hasty decisions. We've waited this long. A little more patience won't kill us. We found him so let's think this through. He was a threat last time we had him and that was when he was a mere toddler. He may be an issue now that he's matured a bit. We will monitor him more thoroughly. Analyze his progress and remain one step ahead."

"...Are you positive sir? What if he slips away?"

"Tell me Saturn. Are there still troops stationed in the city?"

"Um...I believe so. Why do you ask?"

"Simple. His first test will begin sooner than we may think. Mars, I want you to make your way over to the Windworks by Floaroma town. I have an important task for you."

"Y-yes sir!"

"...Only a matter of time…"

 **-Two Days Later-**

 _"You know...I never thought that I'd be back here again…"_ Sparks huffed.

"Just calm down Sparks. We gotta pass through like Roark said. We won't be there long." Lucas assured.

 _"Can we stop for tacos?"_ Turtwig pleaded.

"What?! No! You're not even supposed to be eating that stuff!"

 _"But last time you-"_

"Last time you took mine while I wasn't looking! Quit eating my food! You're a freaking Pokemon! Eat your stupid pellets!" Lucas growled.

 _"Lucas does have a point…"_ Sparks said bluntly.

" _WHAT?! How can you even talk?! You eat meat all the time. Back at the Oreburgh hotel you swiped the steak off of Lucas' plate!"_

 _"Sparks! That was you!"_ Lucas yelled with shock.

Sparks blushed with embarrassment and held his head low. _"I'm sorry Lucas. I was just so tempted and those pellets were so dry and it was a moment of weakness. I crumbled!"_

"I am starving the both of you for the rest of this journey!"

 _"Don't be like that! People food is way better than our kind of food. Take it as a sign of flattery."_ Turtwig said with an innocent smile.

"...Just keep walking!"

 **-In Jubilife City-**

A man looked over and saw the trio. "Hey look! It's that kid again!"

"HE'S WITH THE ELECTRIC MENACE!" A woman screamed.

"PLEASE DON'T HURT US!"

"POLICE! POLICE! SOMEBODY CALL THE POLICE!!!"

Sparks hissed at them while Turtwig glared. This got Lucas' blood boiling. He didn't like being disrespected. Not by people that didn't understand who they were up against.

"ALL OF YOU CAN SHUT THE HECK UP ALREADY!" Lucas snapped. "He's with me! He's not a threat to you!"

 _"Unless you make me one!"_ Sparks snarled.

"You swear he won't hurt anyone?!" A bald guy asked.

"Yes! If he does, he'll have to answer to me and only me! Got it?!" Everyone nodded. They weren't willing to challenge the boy. "Good! Now go back to doing whatever the heck you were all doing before we got here." The crowd slowly dispersed into the city and left the trio alone.

 _"I really hate this place."_ Sparks huffed.

"I know...Now let's just go already." Lucas grumbled.

 _"We gotta head north!"_ Turtwig said happily.

"Yeah. Thanks Turtwig."

 _"...For pointing out the obvious."_ Sparks muttered.

 _"What was that?! Go on! Say it again! I dare you to!"_ Turtwig snapped.

 _"Stop talking."_ Sparks simply said.

 _"Don't tell me what to do! I kill you!"_

 _"No seriously. Shut up!"_ Sparks growled.

 _"No! I don't want to!"_

"Both of you need to shut up! I'm trying to figure out who those weird people over there are." Lucas snapped.

 _"You mean the weird space people?"_

"Yes! Now shush!"

Lucas looked on at the two people that were roaming the streets. They were out talking to random people that were all over the place.

 _"What's their deal?"_ Turtwig asked.

"Don't know but...I'm about to find out. You two stay put!"

 _"What?! But I wanna help too!"_ Turtwig whined.

"No! Stay!" Lucas demanded.

 _"...Jerk!"_

Lucas moved in towards the two strangers and cleared his throat. Both of them looked at him with questioning glances before nodding to each other.

"Listen to me child. We are looking for a certain Pokemon. Small, blue, and uses electric type moves. Know anything about that?" The strangely dress man asked.

"And what if I do?" Lucas challenged.

The two adults looked at each other once again. That's when the blue haired woman spoke up. "We're gonna need you to help us out then."

"Sorry, but I think that the pokemon you want is WAY off limits." Lucas smirked.

"What?! Don't play games with us kid! We're being nice as of now but you DO NOT wanna get on our bad side." The man growled.

"You think that I'm afraid of a couple freaks in skin tight bodysuits?! If so then you better think again!"

The woman stepped forward ready to pull out what Lucas believed to be a weapon. The boy slowly heated up his hands as she approached.

The man stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder. "We have work to do. Forget the damn kid."

The woman scoffed. "Fine! You got off lucky this time you little brat. Next time won't be the same."

"I'm wetting myself just thinking about it." Lucas responded with taunting sarcasm.

They both walked off leaving Lucas wondering. They seemed too odd to be average people. They were clearly up to something and Lucas wanted to know what it was.

The boy returned to his Pokemon and watched as they argued with one another.

 _"I was the one that took down most of his team! I should be co-captain!"_ Turtwig yelled.

 _"But it was me that ended the battle and won Lucas his badge."_ Sparks said back.

Turtwig got in his face. _"I was his first Pokemon!"_

 _"So what? I knew him way longer than you did rookie. Besides, I'm way smarter in a fight than you are."_

This got Turtwig angry. _"I'm way tougher than you'll ever be you dumb house pet!"_

Now it was Sparks that got angry. _"I'm like ten times faster than you! You're a slow little grass type that is overconfident! Speed is key in many scenarios. You're simply too unreliable!_ "

 _"UNRELIABLE?! JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, YOU NEARLY WIPED OUT A CITY! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT CAN'T BE TRUSTED!"_

 _"Lucas was MY friend first!"_

 _"Who cares?! I'm a way better friend!"_

Sparks scoffed. _"Y-you're a self centered buffoon! You're not worth his time!"_

 _"Well we were gonna be just fine even before we found you!"_

Lucas grew tired of their constant arguing and decided enough was enough.

"WILL YOU TWO CUT IT OUT ALREADY!!!" They both stopped and looked up at their trainer, slightly afraid of his sudden tone. "That's it! I've had it with you two yelling at each other all the time!"

 _"HE STARTED IT!"_ They both shouted in unison. This caused them to glare at each other again.

"Both of you are going back in your balls. I can't handle this right now." Lucas returned them both and sighed with irritation. He decided to walk around in order to find a place to eat before hitting the road.

He eventually came across a diner that was open 24/7. He walked inside and was greeted by two familiar faces.

"Ah Lucas. It's so good to see you." Professor Rowan said from a nearby booth. He was sitting there along with Dawn and her Piplup.

"Rowan? What the heck are you doing here?"

"Just came along for a bite to eat. I happened to find Dawn doing the same. Why don't you join us for a nice breakfast." He offered.

"Breakfast?! Isn't it...You know what, nevermind." Lucas shrugged and sat down next to Dawn while Piplup hopped in her lap. She waved and he nodded.

"How'd your gym battle go?" She asked.

"About as well as it could've for my first one. We did manage to get through it though."

"That's good. I guess you and Barry are already making progress." She had a sad smile that Lucas noticed.

"Yeah...But what about you? Still not sure what you wanna do yet?"

"Not a clue. Part of me wants to be a trainer with you guys but...Part of me also wants to be like my mom…"

"I see. It would make sense that you'd be conflicted by this. Your mother was very talented." Rowan spoke.

Lucas was confused by this. "What do you mean? Was your mom famous or something?"

Rowan smiled. "She was. Her name was know all throughout Sinnoh and Hoenn. She was one of the best at what she did."

"Well who was she? Don't keep me in the dark!"

Dawn frowned. "My mom's name is Johanna and she was a top coordinator."

"That is certainly correct." The professor nodded.

"Pardon me asking but what's a coordinator?" Lucas asked.

Dawn and Rowan were shocked by this. They couldn't believe that he really didn't know.

"Lucas a coordinator is someone that participates in Pokemon contests. It's like how trainers take part in gym battles." Dawn explained to him.

"...Pokemon contest?"

Rowan cleared his throat. "A contest is an event that shows off the style of your pokemon as opposed to battling with it. Each contest gives the winner a ribbon which is sorta like a gym badge."

"So how do you win?"

"You have to impress three judges in order to gain enough points to be first place. It may not be battling, but it's by no means easy. You have to be really flashy and creative if you wanna stand out." Dawn told him.

"Okay I sorta get it now. So you're mom was like the contest champion?"

Dawn shrugged. "Something like that. She did win a lot of contests and has multiple grand festival wins under her belt."

"Is that why you're so confused?" Lucas asked her.

"Yeah...I want to be a trainer like you and Barry...Then again...My mom always tells me how she loved being a coordinator and how she wanted me to love it as well."

Lucas gave her a sympathetic look. "I feel you on that one...Well, you've got all the time in the world so...Why not do both?"

"What?! I can't be a trainer AND a coordinator. I'd never have the time to practice and prepare for both of them." Dawn huffed.

"Maybe not at the same time. You could do one now and one later down the line. There's a ton of regions out there. Some are even bigger than Sinnoh. I've got an aunt that lives in Kanto right now. Her and my older cousin lived there since before I was even born. I'm probably gonna head there sometime soon to go visit them. I've been waiting to see my cousin for years now. He was so cool." Lucas said happily.

Dawn couldn't help but smile at how he praised his cousin. He seemed so happy to talk about him. To her, it felt nice to see him like this.

"He must be a great guy then."

"Yeah…" Lucas noticed how much he was talking and began to mentally panic. "I mean...Uh...whatever! He was an okay guy I guess…"

They all sat there for a little while longer, eating the food that they had finally ordered. Once they finished, they all decided that it was time to depart.

"Dawn, Lucas...I'll be taking my leave now." The professor said to them.

"I'd be happy to escort you back Professor Rowan." Dawn said.

"Are you sure Dawn? You don't have to if you don't want to."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I have to make a quick stop at home anyway."

"Very well then." The old man nodded.

"Wait a second there Rowan. You mind sending a message to my house?" Lucas asked.

"Of course. What is it that you need me to tell?"

"Can you...hold on. I gotta write this down. It's for my sister." The boy said and he grabbed a pen from his backpack and wrote down a message in his notebook. He ripped the paper out and handed it to him. "Here. It's just something that I thought I should do now that I'm serious about this whole journey thing."

Rowan took it and nodded to him. "Good luck out there Lucas. I know your grandfather would be proud of you."

"Thanks Rowan. I'll see you guys around. Oh and Dawn."

"Hmm? You need something Lucas?"

Lucas gave her a serious expression. "Good luck finding out what you wanna do. Whatever it his, I uh...I'll back you up if you need it so...Don't worry too much, ya know."

She bowed her head with gratitude. "Thank you."

"Well I suppose we should-"

 ** _~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM~_**

A large explosion went off in the distance. Lucas looked at it with widened eyes. The shockwave pushed everyone back a few feet.

"What is with this city?!" Lucas yelled.

"What even was that?" Dawn asked from beside him.

Lucas got up and ran towards the aftermath of what he assumed was a bomb. He stared at the wide crater that used to be two buildings.

"Oh my gosh...All those people! All the Pokemon! WHO DID THIS?!"

One of the buildings next to the explosion was about to fall over. Lucas saw what looked like a baby Abra underneath.

He dived on top of it and held it close. The building toppled over and was less than a few seconds from crushing him. Seconds later the building slammed down against the ground causing a small tremor.

Lucas clenched his eyes shut and waited for his demise. At least he would've if he wasn't one hundred feet in the air. He looked at the Abra and grinned while it simply squinted back at him.

"Hey, thanks for that little guy. I guess you were fine after all." Lucas then felt an upwards breeze. He looked down and saw the ground quickly approaching. "Uh...you mind doing that again?!"

 _"..."_

"Uh...Little buddy?!" Lucas said with mild fear.

 _"..."_

Lucas was now screaming his lungs out. "SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!!" He shut his eyes once again and braced for impact. Except that too never came. He heard a chirping and felt his chest tighten up. The boy looked up and saw a small bird with a pair of goggles flapping its wings vigorously as it held his collar. "Um...Thanks…" Lucas said as it dropped him and the Abra to safety.

"Lucas are you okay?!" Rowan asked.

"I'm fine. These two little guys saved me more than I saved them." The Abra vanished and the light brown Starly saluted before it flew off. "Very strange…"

"YOU THERE!" Yelled a man in a helicopter.

Lucas turned around and glared. "You two again?! Are you guys the reason one fourth of Jubilife is a freaking wasteland now?!"

The blue haired man chuckled. "Right you are ya little brat! We're making this a location for Team Galactic's newest HQ."

"Galactic...Wait, I think that these are the guys that Looker was after. No wonder. They're insane!"

"Wait, Team Galactic? Looker?! Who are these people Lucas?" Dawn asked.

"They are a group of cowards! Cowards that I have no problem beating to a pulp!" Lucas ran at them with hostile intent. They fired off thousands of bullets from their helicopter. Lucas, after dodging the gunfire left and right, jumped up and hurled a ball of fire at the air vehicle. When it made contact, it easily flung the helicopter into the ground. When the Galactic grunts climbed out of the wrecked aircraft, they saw an angry Lucas staring at them.

"Wait a minute...He's the kid that Cyrus was looking for!" One of them said.

"Yeah, no shit! He just took out a helicopter with fire! Screw the plan! We have to report this asap!"

Lucas' glare intensified. "You two are going nowhere!" Lucas growled. He firmly grabbed the first grunt by his collar and pulled him closer. "Now tell my who you people are! Who's Cyrus and what's your guy's deal?!"

"Heheheh...You think that you're in any position to demand stuff from Team Galactic? You're just a kid!"

"A kid that has a bad temper! Now answer me!"

"Team Galactic is a group of highly trained individuals that serve under our leader Cyrus. We're gonna change this mudhole of a world into what he envisions."

"Change the world? How?!" Lucas asked.

"Sorry kid. That's all the time we have for today. Till next time." He pulled out a small canister and pulled the pin from it.

"What are you doing?!"

Lucas was answered with a bright blast of light in his face. He staggered back holding his eyes. When his vision returned to him, the grunts were gone.

"Crap!" He growled with frustration.

Dawn and Rowan ran over to him with worried faces.

"Lucas my boy! Are you hurt?" Rowan asked.

"Not really. I'm all good! Those twi scumbags got away though."

"Nevermind them. It's time for us to go. I fear worse may come if we continue to stay here any longer."

Lucas sighed. "I couldn't agree with that any more Rowan."

"You're going to Eterna next, right?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah...How'd you know?"

"Because Barry left for that place two days ago. He didn't even stop to say hi or anything." Lucas took note of the slight disappointment in her tone.

"Right...Well I'll see you guys later."

Once outside of the city, Lucas decided to have a look around the route. He checked his watch and saw that the time was half past noon. He brought out his team and sent them both a glare as they started yelling at each other again.

 _"YOU'RE NOWHERE NEAR MY SKILL LEVEL!"_ Sparks shouted.

 _"I bet my soul that I'm stronger than you are! Why don't you go back to running around and terrorizing people like the psycho freak you are!"_

 _"How about you go back to being a complete nobody from the wild you stupid grass type!"_

"ENOUGH!" Lucas shouted, startling the two small Pokemon. "I have had it with you two arguing all the time! You don't have to be best buds but you have to start acting like a team We'rein this together!!"

 _"No offense to you or anything Lucas, but my TEAMMATE is an aggressive nutjob!"_ Turtwig yelled.

 _"As if I'd be partners with this sorry excuse for a okemon."_

Lucas huffed with anger. "Listen to me. BOTH OF YOU LISTEN!"

 _"Tch…"_

 _"Hmph!"_

"I need you guys. BOTH of you guys! I don't care which one can murder someone else's team, or who I've met longer. You're both on my team! Therefore your both equally important!"

 _"I'd rather not be called his equal. It's very insulting…"_ Sparks grumbled.

"Oh my gosh…" Lucas sighed.

 _"YEAH RIGHT! HE WISHES HE WAS MY EQUAL!"_ Turtwig yelled proudly.

 _"I've done more than you could imagine grass type!"_

"I SWEAR! I HATE UNDERSTANDING YOU GUYS SOMETIMES! YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU BOTH HAVE IN COMMON?! YOU'RE BOTH ANNOYING AND IRRITATING! BOTH OF YOU NEED TO SHUT THE HELL UP! PLEASE!!!" Lucas couldn't take anymore from his Pokemon. He stomped ahead and walk towards a cave's entrance.

Turtwig glared at Sparks. _"Good job! Look what you did you jerk! Now he's pissed!"_

 _"ME?! You're the one that can't ever find a way to shut up! This is your fault!"_

Both ran forward in hopes of catching up with Lucas. Said boy was trying his best to calm himself down. It wasn't working out all that well…

 _"Lucas! Lucas! Sparks is sorry for pissing you off dude."_ Turtwig said, pissing off both Sparks and Lucas.

 _"The moron meant that WE'RE sorry for pissing you off. Right?!"_ Sparks jabbed the grass type.

 _"Yeah...Sure...What he said…"_

"You two gotta quit it with all the arguing. It's driving me crazy." Lucas said while rubbing his temples.

 _"Look Lucas. We know that we drive you nuts with our arguing so we promise to only yell at each other when your not looking!"_ Turtwig said.

"What?! NO! That is still a problem!"

The three began navigating through the odd looking cave. The only problem was that they ended up getting lost in the darkness which freaked Lucas out to no end. They were in there for about three hours. He was panicking and screaming which didn't help them get out any sooner.

"WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE! I'M NOT KIDDING! I WILL BLOW THIS WHOLE CAVE APART!!!"

 _"But we'll be crushed underneath the rubble…"_ Sparks grumbled.

 _"Where are we going again?"_ Turtwig asked.

"We need to hit Floaroma Town on our way to Eterna city. Unfortunately this FREAKING CAVE IS IN THE WAY OF THAT!!!"

Turtwig looked at Sparks with multiple concerns. _"He wasn't this freaked out in the last cave. What's his deal this time?"_

 _"The last cave we were in was a straight path more or less. We were just being lead by an idiot."_

Turtwig nodded. _"Yeah...HEY! I WAS LEADING US THOUGH THAT CAVE!"_

 _"I'm well aware of that."_ Sparks said plainly.

 _"You know what-"_

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! GET ME OUTTA HERE! GET ME OUT!" Lucas shouted as he started punching several rocks. The cave started trembling more and more with each punch.

 _"HE'S GONNA KILL US ALL!"_ Turtwig screamed as he ran around in circles.

 _"For the love of everything!"_ Sparks jumped up and shocked Lucas until he was out cold.

 _"YAY! We stopped him. All thanks to my useless panicking!"_

Sparks glared death at Turtwig as he bit down on his trainers shirt collar and roughly tugged him. As he pulled, he noticed that it had suddenly become more difficult. He stopped and lightly growled at Turtwig who had gotten comfortable on Lucas' back.

 _"...Hey! Why'd you stop?!"_

 _"Off! NOW!"_ Sparks ordered.

 _"Freaking jerk…"_ Turtwig murmured under his breath.

 **-An Hour and a Half Later-**

Lucas opened his eyes to see himself in a widespread of colorful flowers. He looked around as the soft breeze made each flower sway with a harmonious rhythm. The sweet smell of honey and nectar filled his nose and the light drops of dew moisturized his skin.

"...Am I...dead? Is this what it feels to be...at eternal peace? It's so nice…" The boy whispered while closing his eyes in a blissful manner.

 _"LUCAS! LUCAS! LUCAS! LUCAS! LUCAS!"_ Yelled a voice that Lucas tried to block out.

"I'm at peace...I'm at peace...I'm at-"

 _"QUIT NAPPING YOU BIG GOOF! WE MADE IT!"_

Lucas growled. "Geez Turtwig! Can't you just let me be at peace?!"

 _"Of course not! You're my trainer! TRAIN ME!"_

"Kill me. Just...kill me already…"

 _"Not yet! Now come on! The town's not far from here!"_ Turtwig yelled happily.

Lucas got up and sighed. "Where'd Sparks go?"

 _"He's in town already! He told me to watch you while he scouted out for trouble."_

"AND YOU ACTUALLY LISTENED?!"

 _"HA! HECK NO! I left you here before I wandered off and found some shady looking people over by some trees. Some of which had some honey that was extremely tasty by the way."_

"..." Lucas glared at him yet again.

 _"What? I made sure to tell you about the blue haired freaks when I came back!"_ Turtwig said defensively.

"I wanna hurt you so badly but I'm not gonna. I need to go find Sparks."

 _"Or we could move on and ditch him. I personally like my option."_ Turtwig suggest with an all too happy face.

"One more word and you're done for! You understand?!"

 _"Ugh! Fine! No need to be so harsh…"_

They two made their way into the town of colorful flowers without any knowledge of what was soon to come.


	6. When the Wind Blows

_"ACHOO!"_

 _"AH! Dude that is so freaking gross!"_ Turtwig yelled with disgust.

 _"It's all the pollen from the flowers! It's making me sneeze."_ Sparks said.

 _"Well could you do it where I'm NOT standing!"_ The grass type grumbled.

 _"I'll try…"_

The trio continued walking through Floaroma Town. Neither one of them wanted to stay any longer then they had to. The Town itself was peaceful but there really wasn't much too it. That and the fact that Sparks' allergies were acting up. They all decided that it was best to keep it moving.

"Where not too far from Eterna Forest guys. All we gotta do is-" Lucas stopped his sentence midway when he heard what sounded like the crying of a small child. "You guys hear that?"

 _"Yeah. I think it's coming from that little girl over there."_ Sparks said while gesturing towards a little brown haired girl that was sobbing in the middle of the path ahead.

 _"Should we help her Lucas?"_ Turtwig asked.

"I think that would be best." The boy nodded.

The grass type nodded. _"Yeah...I do too."_

They all moved closer to the little girl. Lucas crouched down to her level and place a hand on her shoulder. He gave her a comforting grin when she looked up at him.

"Hi there." He said to her. She sniffled a bit but only ended up crying even more.

 _"Wow...She's really upset…"_ Turtwig muttered.

Sparks glared at him yet again. _"You want a pat on the back for stating the obvious?"_

 _"Yes…"_

Lucas gave them both a threatening look before trying to console the little girl.

"Let me help you. Just tell me what's wrong and I'll do anything I can to fix this. You have my word."

"M...my daddy got...Taken away by...the mean space people." She sobbed.

Lucas grit his teeth with anger as he stood up straight. "Where? Where did they take him?"

"The Valley Windworks. They...They hurt him and took him inside." She said while wiping her face.

"That's all I needed to hear. You stay put. I'll be back with your dad in no time!" Lucas flashed her a thumbs up before walking towards the Windworks. He saw two Galactic grunts on a nearby bridge and glared.

" _Oh yeah! It's payback time!"_ Turtwig shouted with enthusiasm.

"HEY!" Lucas yelled at them.

"What the hell do you want you little brat?! Don't you know that this bridge is on lockdown while Team Galactic gathers data from Eterna Forest?"

"Yeah! Go back the way you came!" The other grunt demanded.

"You jerks are gonna get what's coming to you!" The boy said with defiance.

"Looks like we have a tough guy! Come on! Let's teach the kid a lesson!"

Lucas smirked as he watched them move across the bridge. His hands surged with electricity and his eyes glowed yellow. Sparks ended up the same and Turtwig also got himself into a stance.

 _"I'm ready to attack!"_ Sparks said.

"On my mark." Lucas muttered. The two men were in the middle of the bridge. "Ready…" The trio charged up their own respective attacks. "ALL TOGETHER-"

 ** _~SSSSPPPPLLLLAAAASSSSHHHH~_**

The three stared up at the large blast of water that not only blew apart the entire bridge, but also sent the two grunt flying.

 _"AW MAN! That was supposed to be us! Who took our win like that?!"_ Turtwig cried.

"Wait a second...You guys see that? There's something in the water!" Lucas shouted.

The three looked at an orange Pokemon that was glaring at them from the surface of the water. Sparks hissed at it while Lucas examined it closely. He brought out his Pokedex and scanned it.

"What the heck is that thing Lucas?" Sparks asked.

"...It's called a Buizel. Hey, it's a water type Pokemon! That could really help us out!" Lucas grinned.

Turtwig scoffed. _"What?! No way do we need some dumb water type! We'll be fine on our own!"_

 _"For once, I actually agree with the idiot. We'll be a much more efficient team with fewer numbers."_

 _"Who you calling an idiot?!"_ Turtwig asked with narrowed eyes.

"We need a water type you guys. My cousin said that they are essential for any real team. Besides...You two can't do it all. Our last gym battle showed me that. The more we got on our side, the better."

 _"He better not steal all the spotlight!_ " The grass type yelled.

Lucas looked at the Buizel and moved closer towards the river. The Buizel lifted its head all the way out of the river and splashed Lucas with a burst of water from its mouth. This got Sparks agitated. The electric type snarled as he jumped into the water.

"Sparks no!" Lucas shouted.

Seconds later, a thunderous boom went off under the water. Multiple Goldeen and Magikarp floated to the top. They were all seared to a crisp.

Sparks hopped out of the water with the now panicking Buizel. His little fangs were locked onto the Buizel's flipper like arm.

 _"I dare you to make another move."_ Sparks hissed.

"Sparks I was fine! You didn't have to roast the entire riverbank!" Lucas said.

 _"Hey...Now we've got lunch and dinner…"_

"...Oh my gosh…"

Meanwhile, the Buizel was squirming around in Spark's jaws with pain filled tears in its eyes.

 _"PLEASE! LET ME GO!!!"_

 _"Mmm...No!"_ Sparks growled. He looked at Lucas and glared. _"What should I do about this guy?"_

"I know what I'm gonna do." Lucas brought out a pokeball and tossed it at the Buizel. After four ticks it was finally caught. "That makes number three." Lucas grinned.

 _"I hate this! First the psycho shocker and now splash master?! What's next? Bird brain?! Stoic martial artist?"_

"Shut up Turtwig!" Lucas tossed out the Buizel and grinned. "Hey there buddy! Let me officially welcome you to team Lucas."

 _"NO! I hate you guys! Why would I join you?! You're all a bunch of-"_ The water type snapped.

 _"Watch what you say there pal! I might get angry…"_ Sparks growled.

 _"I just want to be back in my river! Screw you guys!"_ The Buizel yelled.

"What should I name you?" Lucas thought.

 _"HEY! ARE YOU GUYS EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"_

 _"How about Wet Coward?"_ Sparks suggested.

"...I might skip the nickname. At least for now. We still have a dad to save anyway. Come on guys!"

Buizel huffed. _"I don't care about some dumb human! RELEASE ME!"_

 _"Be silent!"_ Sparks snarled with a flash of his teeth.

The Buizel started sweating uncontrollably and decided that it'd be best to keep his mouth shut.

The four made it in front of the Windworks and saw a grunt standing outside.

"Oh geez...Another kid that thinks that he can stop us? Listen here pint size! You better turn back the way you came! Unless you wanna get hurt."

"Tch...You know what? Buizel, let's see what you can do." Lucas said with a grin.

 _"ME?! HECK NO!!!"_ Buizel yelled. Sparks decided to glare hell at Buizel. This led to said Pokemon stepping up. "Fine…"

"Go Drowzee!"

"Alright...Uh...use Watergun!" Lucas shouted.

"Drowzee use Hypnosis!" The grunt yelled.

The psychic waves hit Buizel before he could fire off his attack causing him to hit the floor, fast asleep.

 _"Wow...Real good first impression. Lucas, let me take this guy out."_ Sparks offered.

"Shoot! Fine, make it quick. We're already wasting more time than we should be." Lucas said as he recalled Buizel.

Sparks ran forward and shocked the living daylights out of the grunt and his Pokemon. Both dropped to the ground and fell unconscious. Lucas took this opportunity to step forward and bust open the metal door.

Seconds later, a swarm of armed grunts and their Pokemon surrounded the small group. Lucas glared and looked at each of them. Sparks wasn't intimidated by the numbers and Turtwig seemed eager for the challenge.

"You're making a big mistake kid!" One of the Galactic grunts said.

The boy smirked. "Funny...Someone said the same thing to me not too long ago."

"You're gonna leave the way you came!" The grunt pulled out a small baton that was covered with electricity.

"Turtwig, Sparks...I want you two to handle the the Pokemon. I'll take all of these losers."

 _"Don't have to tell me twice!"_ Turtwig said happily.

Sparks shot out multiple thundershocks while Turtwig let loose a wave of sharp leaves.

While they were attacking, Lucas was holding his own against the grunts. He ducked under one swing and dodged an overhead swipe from another. He swung his fist at the first grunt that he could reach. He then lit his hands on fire and dropped another grunt to his knees with a flaming gut punch.

"This is just too easy!" Lucas laughed while kicking away another grunt.

In all his excitement, Lucas had slipped up and got hit in the side with a shock baton. He hissed with pain before turning around and decking the same guy with a bone shattering uppercut to his jaw.

More and more grunts started ganging up on him. Their numbers alone were beginning to overwhelm the boy. For every one he took down, three more would charge at him.

Sparks and Turtwig noticed this but were too occupied to jump in and help.

 _"We have to help Lucas!"_ Turtwig said as he knocked back a Venonat with a Tackle.

 _"Can we help ourselves first?!"_ Sparks growled while zapping three Houndors.

Lucas received a punch across his jaw while also taking a kick to his abdomen. He was then smacked hard with a shock baton.

He dropped down and coughed while every grunt stared at him with a smirk. He was hurt and they knew it.

"Should've left us alone kid. Instead, you tried to play hero. Now look at you." One of them said.

"I'm not afraid of you chumps! I'm here to get the little girl her dad back!" He shouted.

"That's fine. Do know that our commander would like a word with you." A female grunt said as two more grabbed the boy and lifted him up. They carried him to where an old man and a red haired woman could be seen. The woman was barking orders at a guy that was sweating.

"Commander Mars! We have the intruder. What shall we do with him?"

The woman turned around and gave Lucas a harsh look. "Bring him here!"

They shoved the boy forward. He fell to the floor, right at Mars' feet. She smirked as he glared.

"I'm looking for a little girl's father. Know anything about that?" Lucas asked.

"Hmm...I may have some clue as to his whereabouts. Unfortunately, that information is irrelevant to you." She smiled and grabbed him by his hair. "What's your name little boy?"

"What's it to you?"

Mars giggled a bit before smashing his face into her left knee. His nose started bleeding and he quickly feeling light headed.

"No need to be rude you little brat. Now, let's try this again. What's your name?"

"...Lucas...My name is Lucas…" He grumbled.

"Lucas...Good to know that I finally have a name for you. Cyrus will be pleased to see you." She said.

"Who the heck is Cyrus?"

"You'll find out soon enough." She looked at the several grunts. "Load him onto the truck out back. We need to bring him to Veilstone City." Mars ordered.

Lucas scoffed. "I'm not going anywhere with you clowns!" He swung his arms down while puffing up his chest.

"What are you doing?!" A grunt asked.

Lucas answered with a hefty stream of fire spewing from his mouth. The flames hit the ground and began spread across the floor. The grunts let Lucas go and backed away. The boy then stared at Mars and the old man with a serious face.

"Hope you're ready because I'm personally kicking you guys out!"

"You think I'm afraid of you kid? You don't know who you're messing with!"

"Some loud mouth chick with a big ego. I think I've got you pegged real well." Lucas said before pushing her back with a swift kick.

"Since you wanna play so badly…" She moved a strand of hair out of the way of her eyes before running up kicking him square in his jaw. He flew back and hit ground. "You can have all the typings you want, but it won't matter if you still can't handle a little fist fight."

Lucas got up, only to get hit with an open hand palm strike to his chest. She spun around and chopped him in the back of his neck. He fell to his knees and stared helplessly at Mars as she punt kicked him. The taste of blood filled his mouth. His jaw ached and his lip was busted.

"Having a little too much fun, don't you think Mars?" The old man asked.

"You can shut the hell up you old bastard! I'm perfectly in control of the situation. You on the other hand should focus more on YOUR job! You're still new around here so do start feeling all big and bad!"

"It was just food for thought my dear." The man said passively.

In the background, Sparks and Turtwig were peeking in on the entire scene at hand. Behind them were multiple piles of fainted or dead pokemon.

 _"Lucas is getting his butt kicked dude!_ " Turtwig shouted.

 _"I'm well aware...I'm about to go and fry every single one of them to a CRISP!"_

 _"Are you sure about that?"_ Turtwig asked.

 _"Hundred percent positive. Not sure why. But I feel a ridiculous amount of power inside of me. Power that's ready to be let loose."_ Sparks moved around stealthily as if he were hunting with his father. He crept closer to the several grunts. He then unleashed a large wave of electricity from his body. The grunts were all paralyzed in seconds.

Mars saw this and glared. "So you sent in these little shits? I'm not impressed. Not at all." She sent out a Zubat and her Purugly. "Kill the grass type and cripple the electric one. We may have a use for him."

Turtwig glared. _"Why do I have to die?! I HAVE MANY USES!"_

Sparks hissed violently. _"I want the fat cat! You take down the bat!"_

 _"What?! But I'm a grass type! YOU'RE the electric type! Switching opponents would make more sense!"_ Turtwig argued.

 _"How many times must I say it? Typing doesn't matter! Use your own strength!"_ Sparks said.

 _"I hate when you get like this! Next time, I get to fight the biggest one!"_ Turtwig said, displeased.

 _"Fine! Now shut up and fight!"_

Mars giggled maniacally. "It's adorable how much they're willing to go the distance for you. Too bad they'll be crushed in a matter of seconds."

She picked Lucas up by his collar. He was beaten up pretty badly. He had bruises all over his body. He was bleeding from his mouth and nose. His right eye was swollen shut and his left cheek was red.

The man that the boy came to save looked on with a feeling of guilt. He never wanted anyone to get hurt for him. He didn't know what to do.

"...I will...stop you…" Lucas choked out.

"Really?" Mars kneed him again. He dropped to the ground unable to move. Mars stomped on his left forearm until she heard a popping noise.

"Keep talking your nonsense little boy. You'll only regret it more and more!" She slammed her heel down onto his arm once again.

 ** _~CRACK~_**

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Lucas screamed at the top of his lungs as the bone of his forearm was snapped.

"That's right...Keep screaming!" Mars said with a sadistic smile. She pressed down harder making Lucas scream louder.

Turtwig was fighting of the Zubat and getting extremely annoyed by it's evasive maneuvers. _"HOLD STILL!"_ He shot more leaves at it only for it to dodge and counter with a Wing Attack.

Sparks wasn't doing too well either. He kept shocking the larger cat only for it to tank the hit and dish out a more brutal one. This was making Sparks exhausted to the point that he wasn't able to fire off another Thundershock.

 _"Darn...Maybe Turtwig was right about the matchups. Endurance fights are more his thing. I'm taking way more damage than she is! I don't know how much longer I can-"_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHAHAH!!!" Lucas screamed again.

 _"Lucas?!"_ Sparks listened to the pain filled cries of his friend and grit his teeth. He refused to hear his trainer suffer any longer. He stared at the Purugly and growled. A bright glow surround him. His body began to morph into a bigger shape.

Turtwig and the Zubat looked on at the bright light with awe. The Purugly wasn't fazed by this though. It only seemed to scoff.

"Well this is quite unexpected." The old man said.

Mars glared at him. "Whatever! Not like it'll matter in the end anyway!"

Lucas was caught off guard as Sparks transformed. He seized his yelling and watched with wide eyes. "Sp...Sparks…"

When the light died down, Sparks was seen standing there with an altered look. For one thing, he was a tad bit bigger. There was now less light blue fur on his body. His head was now covered in black fur. His ears were a bit shorter and more round. His tail had doubled in length and he now had two golden bands on his front two legs. One thing that Lucas noticed was the anger in his eyes. What were once big, bright, and somewhat curious eyes were gone. What replaced them were two deeper, much more violent and scowling eyes. Eyes that gave multiple warnings.

 _"Whoa...Dude are you...okay?"_ Turtwig asked with uncertainty in his voice. He was a little intimidated by Sparks' new look.

 _"...Uh...Sparks-"_

 _"Get back."_ Sparks said in a slightly deeper tone of voice.

 _"What? Why would I-"_ Turtwig stopped when he noticed Sparks glaring at him. His glare shook him to his core. _"Alright…"_ He stepped back a bit and watched on.

Electricity danced around Sparks' body. He let put a wild roar before moving in front of the Zubat. No one could even proceed what had happened because in the blink of an eye, the Zubat was down.

"Oh my…" The hostage said.

Turtwig huffed. _"Oh sure, just take my opponent without my consent. I don't mind at all…"_

Sparks glared daggers at the now slightly nervous Purugly. _"You're all mine."_ He dash behind her and bit down on hard. As soon as he tasted the blood of his enemy, he let loose a large amount of lighting from him fangs. The Purugly shook uncontrollably as the electricity coursed throughout her body, rendering her paralyzed.

Sparks looked back at Mars with a hate filled death stare. The woman smirked at him. "What? You wanna go furball?"

 _"I'll make you bleed!"_ Sparks hissed. He charged forward and pounced on top of her. He made constant attempts to bite at her neck off but she held him at bay.

"Nice try little guy." She tossed Sparks off of her and giggled. She pinned him down and started strangling him. "I'm not too worried about getting my hands dirty. Actually...I kinda enjoy it!"

 _"Sparks!"_ Turtwig shouted as he started running at Mars.

 _"NO! I...don't need...your help…"_ He said in between breaths.

 _"But Sparks!"_

 _"NO TURTWIG! I said...I don't...need it!"_ Sparks started giving off electricity from his fur. This didn't stop Mars though. It only made her tighten her grip.

"Die! Die! DIE!" Mars smirked and Sparks' eyes slowly shut.

"Let him go!"

"What?!" Mars turned around and saw Lucas standing. Broken arm and all. This made her laugh. "You actually got up? Ridiculous! Guess I should've broken your legs first. No matter." She flung Sparks into a wall and made an attempt to punch Lucas.

The boy narrowed his eyes and caught the attack using his good arm. "Leave...Now!" He headbutted her in the face and pulled her into a brutal knee.

She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. "You brat…I outta-"

"Miss Mars, I believe that we should take our leave now. We have more than enough data to go off of and the energy that we've siphoned from this place is beyond what we initially intended."

"Damn you Charon!" She glared at the older man. She wasn't ready to just leave like this. She wanted the boy to suffer.

"Remember our real mission." He said to her.

"...Very well." She looked back at Lucas with a small grin. "You lucked out this time kid. Next time you won't be so lucky. I can assure you of that." She threw down a smoke bombed. As it cleared, her and her Pokemon along with the rest of Team Galactic had departed. This left Lucas who was still badly injured, Sparks who seem somewhat furious, Turtwig who was still confused about a lot of different things and the little girl's father.

"There gone!" The man said with relief. "Thank you young man! Thank you so much!"

"Don't worry about it…" Lucas didn't really want any praise though. He had just gotten his butt handed to him on a silver platter. He was still weak and that made him disgusted with himself.

"PAPA!!!" The little girl shouted as she ran inside of the Windworks. She jumped in her father's arms and hugged him.

"Oh, I missed you so much!" He embraced his daughter tightly. "You're owed so much for what you did today young man."

"Thank you so much!" The girl said happily.

"Please, take this. It's not much but-" He offered Lucas five hundred dollars that he politely declined.

"No thanks. I'm grateful and everything, but I don't want your money. You keep it. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? It'd be no trouble at all-"

"I'm fine." He said again.

"Well then at least let me fix up that arm of yours. I can make you a little cast." He said.

"NRGH!" Lucas snapped his arm back in place. "Alright...Make it...quick…"

After getting his arm wrapped up Lucas decided to to take off while grateful.

"I should probably get going now anyway. I want to at least get to the entrance of Eterna Forest by sundown." Lucas said as he turned around and left.

Him and his team travel north in silence. There was a lot of tension in the air. Lucas was angry at himself for being overpowered by Mars so easily while Sparks was seething with rage. He hated the fact that he needed help. Before he'd just get annoyed. Now, he was downright pissed. He had even evolved into a stronger being but still had to be saved by the one that was hurt the most. HE was supposed to protect his trainer. Not the other way around.

Then there was Turtwig who wasn't particularly angry. Instead, he felt feelings of self pity and inadequacy. Not only was he now a blatantly lower level than Sparks, but he was also not much help in the actual battle. His trainer was hurt and he was unable to do anything worthwhile about it. He even took the backseat and let Sparks handle it. He was ashamed of himself.

They all continued walking until they hit the forest. They stared at the entrance of Eterna Forest.

 _"Should we head inside?"_ Turtwig asked with a notably upset tone.

"No way. It's pitch black in there. We'll be lost for hours. We'll camp out here until sunrise." Lucas said.

Sparks said nothing and walked towards a small space next to a rock. He laid down without a word to anyone.

Lucas sighed. "I should go talk to him."

 _"Right...Well, me and Buizel can go get firewood in the meantime."_

"Sounds good. Don't stray too far from the path and hurry back. Buizel's still new so you're in charge." Lucas told his starter. He release Buizel who was now wide awake.

 _"GAH! WHERE AM I?!"_ He asked in a panic.

 _"Shut up and come on! We're getting firewood!"_ Turtwig said hastily.

 _"Wait what?! Grr...Fine! Let's hurry this up! I'm starving_ _!"_

The two walked off and in search for firewood. Lucas took the opportunity to take a seat next to Sparks. He didn't bother to look at him or acknowledge that he was there. He knew that Sparks was still awake though.

"...Hey buddy…"

"..."

"...Pretty long day right?"

"..."

"...Is there...Anything you wanna talk about?" Lucas asked.

"..."

"Sparks...C'mon bud...Talk to me. I'm here to listen...Let me know what's wrong so that I can help." Lucas rubbed his hand on the dark fur only to get lightly shocked.

 _"I don't want help! I don't ever want to be a charity case! I want to be the one that protects YOU! I'm so sick of people getting hurt while I'm in the background like a scared little kitten! It's everytime Lucas. Every single time! When those humans hunted my dad down I ran. When Luther, the man who had to care for me died I ran! When you got hurt I had to sit there and wait for you to fix things! Even with this new body, I'm still a weak, pathetic, coward! When that woman was choking me, I was actually scared for my life. When I heard you scream, I lost myself. I was ready to run but something told me to stay. I felt stronger and that's when…"_

"You evolved…"

 _"I tried so hard to be brave and deal with them all by myself...That only led to me getting beaten in such a humiliating fashion. I hate myself for that. I never want to see you hurt like that again. Not if I can help it…"_ Sparks said.

Sparks wasn't looking at Lucas but the boy could still hear the little sobs and sniffles. Lucas felt guilty for making his own Pokemon feel this way. If he was stronger then he wouldn't have gotten hurt like that.

"..." Lucas scooped Sparks up and held him close. Sparks was caught off guard by this and tried to quickly shake away his tears.

 _"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"_ He asked with shock.

"I haven't held you like this this since I was a little kid." He stroked his fur once more. The small jolts of electricity tickled his fingers. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to worry about me. I'm your trainer and I feel like I'm the one who failed you. I'm so sorry that you're feeling this way. You're my friend and I want you to know that you and the rest of my team mean the world to me. Even Buizel and I'm pretty sure he's still ready to ditch us."

"..." Sparks relaxed in Lucas' grasp. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling.

"You're all my family now. I may get hurt, but I want you to know something…"

 _"What it it?"_ Sparks asked.

"I'll never let anything happen to you guys. I'll give up everything to keep you guys safe. My grandfather may be gone but I'm still here to protect you so quite worrying."

 _"I'll protect you too…"_ Sparks muttered before he fell asleep in his trainer's arms.


	7. A Frozen Hell

-11 Years in the Future-

"All units! Report to sector B! I repeat! I need all units on Beta! This is a CODE FROST! I repeat! This is a CODE FROST!"

Emptiness...Nothing there but cold ruin…

"Fireteam Five! Do you copy?!"

...Frozen hearts fill the many children...There was nothing here…

"WE NEED BACKUP! I REPEAT! WE NEED BACKUP!!!"

Dedication to complete extinction...Not a sound to be heard…

"HE'S HERE ALREADY! WHAT IS GOING ON WITH OUR EVACUATION PROTOCOL?!"

The chills...They creep under your skin as if all of you sins were lost inside of your very soul...They follow you...

One final message to the few that would hear it. The swansong to this ghastly reality. The speech that some hoped would encourage victory in the near future. Peace for all.

"This is a message to all that are listening. The sub-zero threat has become too much for even the United Forces to handle. This high level threat has turned into what the world has feared the most. At this point, we as both the human race AND Pokemon alike have been pushed to our absolute limit. The earth as we know it will soon begin to parish and with it will be the few lives that we have left. I as a believer of hope and justice truly did wish for another outcome. That however is not the case. To those that I have come to know and cherish over the years...I want to say my final goodbyes. To my wife and daughter...I want you to remember how much I love you both...To my friends, I wish the utmost success...To those that I haven't ever met but are still hanging on to hope...I want you to all keep each other safe...This is my final message in my final moments...Good luck…"

Too many people said goodbye…

The Unova region...The last city to face the worldwide threat to Earth. A threat the stemmed from one man's greedy ambitions. This was the region that ironically enough started the problem. This was also the region that was on it's last leg.

The Earth's population had dropped to a measly twenty four percent of what it once was. Many pokemon have gone extinct and humanity has been suffering for years. Of all the safe havens left, the only one that was still habitable was Gear Station in Nimbasa City. The city was a shell of its former self. It was completely destroyed. Buried underneath a thick layer of ice and snow. The buildings were wrecked and for the most part, were abandoned. To see a city that people had once shared fond memories in such a despair filled state...It was a tragedy.

"Mama...I'm cold…" Said a little girl.

"Oh no...You're shivering. I NEED A BLANKET OVER HERE!" The blue haired woman shouted.

"Here, take this. It's all I can give you for now. We're pretty low on supplies." Said a young man with chocolate brown hair. He took off his blue jacket and placed it around the shivering child.

"T...thanks Hil...b...b...bert…" She said gratefully.

He smiled down at her and stood back up. The woman seemed conflicted by his actions.

"Hilbert what about you? It's freezing cold out there. You need to keep yourself warm too."

He shook his head. "Don't you worry about me. I'll be fine. Just make sure that she stays warm."

He looked around the lobby area of the train station and sighed. They weren't doings to well. Too many people were getting cold and supply runs were getting less and less rewarding. They needed a stroke of luck to get them through this nightmare.

He walked over to a green haired man that was handing out bowls of food to an elderly woman.

"Thank you so much young man." She said to him.

He bowed. "It's my pleasure."

"Cilan!" Hilbert called out to him.

"Hey Black. How are things going with the others?" He asked.

"Not well. We're short on blankets and clothing. How's the food supply looking?"

"I'm afraid that too is looking rather low. It just isn't enough to keep everyone...around...for much longer." The chef said.

"I figured. I'll go get Cal and head out on another run in a few minutes."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You've already raided most if not all of south Nimbasa. There may not be much to take. You'll be wasting your energy." Cilan said with a frown.

"That's why we're gonna hit uptown. That area hasn't been touched. There's a supermarket up there and the department store isn't too far from there either." Hilbert told him with a sense of determination.

"That's suicide! What if you run into-"

"Then so be it! I'm sick of hiding and living in the shadows! Gold died in order to keep us all safe! Not to mention the others that he took away. What about your brothers Cilan?! The son of a bitch killed them too! You have to get how I'm feel man…"

"I do get it...The day doesn't go by when I don't think of my brothers. However, I can't just throw my life away! People need me and they damn sure need you Black! You and Calem are the only two real fighters that we've got left. Not to mention that you two along with Serena pretty much lead everyone down here. If either of you die then the people will lose faith. You have to be smart about this."

Hilbert looked around the place, contemplating his next move. His eyes traveled to a group of kids the all seemed to be extremely hungry.

"I can't turn this down Cilan. My little brother...I know he's hungry. Calem's little brother is still fighting that cold. Everyone is cold! I have to do this. If I get what we need than I'll at least buy us some more time down here."

Cilan sighed. "Very well. Do as you wish. Just please come back alive. Last time, Serena almost failed to fix you up."

"I know and I'll be fine this time, I swear. We'll pop in and dip out in no time."

"Do stay true to your word Black."

Hilbert walked away and met up with his younger brother who was sitting on a bench with his friends. All of whom were starving. That was made all too obvious by their darkened moods.

"Hey Nate. You feelin' alright?"

"...I'm hungry Hilbert…" The younger boy's stomach growled. Hilbert sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hang in there champ. I'll get you something soon."

Nate's eyes brightened. "Are you and Cal going on another raid?!"

Hilbert grinned. "Yep!"

"Awesome! Can I come?!"

"Nope!"

Nate groaned. "How come you get to got outside? I'm sick of this dumb place!"

"You're still too young to go on supply runs. It's way to dangerous for you. You gotta stay in here where it's safe."

"Aw man! Please Hilbert! I've been training like you said! I'm ready for this!" Nate said with pleading eyes.

"No means no Nate. Maybe some other time, alright?"

The younger boy scoffed. "You always say that Hilbert! When are you gonna trust me enough to help you?!"

"When you're more mature. Hopefully you never have to face that bastard again." Hilbert muttered.

"That's total bullshit and you know it!"

Hilbert glared at his younger brother. "Watch your language Nate. I'm serious! You are my main priority. If you ended up dead...I don't know what I'd do…"

"I bet that's what you said to Bianca and Cheren. I bet that's what you said to mom. Hell, I bet that's what you said to Hilda before you got her killed too!"

"I SAVED YOUR LITTLE UNGRATEFUL ASS! In case you forgot that part!" Hilbert snapped.

"What a good job you did! Now I can spend the rest of my days freezing inside of a train station while I slowly but surely starve to death. Thanks a ton for that big brother!"

"This is exactly what I mean! Your brash, impatient, reckless and all around CHILDISH! You're not coming!" Hilbert yelled before walking off.

Nate sat there and glared. He hated being treated like a kid. He wanted to fight but his brother would never allow it.

Meanwhile, Hilbert was walking down a flight of stairs and towards the section that had one train still in it. This was the train that used to take you to Anville Town.

This was were Hilbert would find Calem and Serena. Two of his closest friends. They were inside of the train car talking amongst themselves when Hilbert stepped inside.

"Sup Black!" Calem touched fists with Hilbert and smirked. "Need something brotha?"

"Yeah. You and I gotta hit another supply run." He said.

Serena and Calem stared at one another for a brief moment. "Um...Why so soon? We just went out the other day." Calem asked.

"We're low on food. Like dangerously low. People are hungry and cold. Some are getting sicker and sicker. We need more antibiotics and medicine. Some want painkillers as well."

"Black, are you sure you wanna do this so soon? Last time you got hurt pretty bad." Serena said.

"I'm well aware of that. Don't have much choice though. We gotta do it or people will die."

"I dunno...Seems risky…" She said.

"C'mon babe! Lighten up. If Black's down with it then I'm ready to head back out there too."

"Calem please. I don't want you to end up hurt or worse." Serena pleaded.

Calem chuckled as he stood stood up. "You know I have to do this. Everyone here is hungry like Black said and you're eating for two now. You just need to take it easy and wait for me here. I'll be back with a whole buffet. We'll be eatin' like how we used to. Back in the Kalos days."

"What I wouldn't give to be back home…" She muttered.

"You said it…" I sighed.

The two shared a quick moment with each other. Hilbert chose to be polite and looked away until they were done.

A quick pat on his shoulder got his ready. "Alright man! Let's get going! We got people and Pokemon to feed." Calem threw on his blue jacket and zipped it up.

"Yeah. We better hurry too. It's almost dark out."

Before they could leave, Serena grabbed Hilbert's arm and stopped him. "Black, please bring him back in one piece."

"I will…" He said. She nodded and let him go.

Once they made it back upstairs, Calem gave Hilbert a serious look. "Hey man, listen real quick."

"Something wrong?"

Calem nodded. "It's just...So overwhelming, you know being a big brother and all, but now I'm also gonna be a dad. That shit is just...Wow…"

"Congrats man. I'm happy for you." Hilbert said with a sincere smile.

"I mean...It's not that I'm against it or anything like that. I love Serena and I know she'll make a great mom. I just don't think I was smart to...well...you know...Do _it_ with her at a time like this. Now she's pregnant and our kid is gonna have to grow up in this frozen shit storm of a world. Trapped inside of a train station living in fear for the rest of their life. It just sucks!" Calem was frustrated. He wasn't sure of what to really do. He was scared for his family. He wanted to be a good father but he just wasn't sure on how to do that.

"That's rough bro…"

"What the hell am I gonna do? Me and Serena aren't ready for kids. We're both still so young man! I just feel so lost!"

"Well if it helps, I'll be there to lend a hand." Hilbert said.

"Thanks Black...But you and I both know that's a lie…" Calem said with a small chuckle.

"What do you mean Cal?!"

"Don't play dumb with me. The plan man! The one that'll clean this world up. That might be what the next phase is." Calem said.

Hilbert looked at him with confusion. "I don't...I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really dude? Fine, whatever man. At least say hi to our old teacher for me. You know...When you go back and see him."

Hilbert was speechless. He couldn't believe what he just heard. "How long have you known?"

"Since you talked to him about it. I'm not stupid you know. I read up on that orb he gave you. The Adamant Orb. It contains the essence of the legendary Pokemon Dialga. Master of time itself. He trusted you with it. He knew that you'd need it. He thought ahead." Calem said.

"Truth is...I never wanted it…" Hilbert said. "When he gave it to me, he pretty much said to fix what he wouldn't be around to. He left me with a burden that I wasn't ready to accept. I don't wanna leave you guys alone. What if he finds this place? I won't be here to help."

"You may be the most effective one to fight him but I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve Black." Calem grinned.

"Still...What if someone gets hurt. What if Nate is forced to fight my battle?" Hilbert asked.

"You worry to much man. The sooner you go back and help our teacher, the sooner this bullshit ends. We'll all be free. We'll be happy! Maybe I'll get to finally visit the Alola region and relax on the hot beach with my lady. What a dream. A dream that you can make happen. Let's face it man. Our little hideout ain't gonna last forever. Soon, things will just happen. This will be our fate. You have the tool necessary to change that! You have to do it man."

"What it I screw up and make things even worse?!"

"You won't. The master trusted you the most out of us all. You have the most potential. You are the _hero of truth_ after all. I know that you got this!"

Hilbert sighed. "It's just a lot to handle."

"Just know that when you get there, things will be different. No more eternal cold. No more suffering. None of this fear for survival. In all honesty, if you don't go, than I will." Calem said.

"No way! Serena well slaughter me if I let you take a trip to the past." Hilbert chuckled.

Calem laughed with him. "You'll be fine."

"Besides...You have more people to be with than I do. What will Sun do without you?"

"Elio is strong. He doesn't need me to watch over him. I know he'll beat that illness. He's fighting to stay alive so I'm gonna keep doing whatever I can to keep him around. I just wish that he could stop hurting. Sometimes...I feel like maybe I should just put him out of his misery. End his pain. Make the hurt go away…"

"Don't say that Cal."

Calem shook his head. "What's living if he has to cry out in pain every night. I hate it. He's dying but his strength is keeping him here. He's holding on for dear life. Maybe I should just...end it all. Let him be at peace."

"You can't do that! He'll bounce back from all of this. Just watch!" Hilbert told him.

"My level of optimism is on zero my friend. I'm running low hope. That's why I want you to change things. You have the ability to stop this madness Black."

Hilbert dwelled on his friend's words. "I'll try man…"

"That's all I'm asking." Calem said.

Both of them stepped outside in the wintery Hell. Calem in his full tracksuit and combat boots. Hilbert was in his jeans, red and black high top sneakers and his black T-shirt.

A heavy blizzard was taking over the city. Both boys looked around to see if the coast was clear.

Hilbert was unfazed by the cold while Calem was shivering. He was already freezing.

"H...hey B...b...Black...A little h...help!"

"Oh right. Sorry." He placed a hand on Calem's head and heated up his exterior.

"Thanks…Now where do we go? You're the Unovian so lead the way."

Hilbert nodded. "Over here. Follow me."

As Hilbert walked, he took in the sights. This was where he got his fourth gym badge. It was also where he took his girlfriend for their first date. Those were happier times. Times that he wanted back.

When they both got to the north end of the city they saw the supermarket that they were looking for. Calem tried to pry the sliding doors open but was having too much difficulty.

"Heh, you mind heating things up a bit?" Calem asked as he stepped aside.

"No sweat…"

Hilbert put his hand on the door and heated them up. This melted off all the ice that was keeping them closed.

Calem noticed all the steam that rose up to the sky. "Hopefully that didn't give us away."

They walked inside and browsed around the place. "We'll both grab a shopping cart and fill them with whatever we can."

"How are we gonna get them back to the station? Not like we can just push them.back with all that snow." Calem said.

"We're strong. We can lift them back."

"...Good point! Let's move." The each grabbed a cart and started stacking them up with food and drinks. What ever medication they found, they took as well.

They met back at the entrance and nodded. "This stuff should last us for at least a week." Hilbert said.

"I sure do hope so." Calem said. A thought the came to his mind. "Wait here! I almost forgot to grab something!" Calem ran to the back of the store and grabbed two chocolate bars.

"What's that all about?"

"Serena seriously loves these things. I know she hasn't had one in a while so…"

"No no...It's fine dude. Do what you gotta do."

"Ha! Thanks Black."

Hilbert cautiously checked the windows in order to make sure that the coast was clear. When everything seemed fine, they made their way out with there carts. The temperature dropped to near unbearable levels for most life to be sustained. It was ridiculous how much the world had changed into this frozen graveyard. The many soldiers and pokemon that gave their lives up to help those in desperate need was far too difficult to keep track of. When Hilbert saw another set of bodies, he cringed at how mangled they were. A man, severed in half with is entrails spilling out of his now frozen corpse. It was an absolute mess. A Machamp with all of its arms ripped off. Snapped bones sticking right out of the upper abdomen. It was hard to see.

"Why...Why so many?" Hilbert asked.

"We gotta keep moving Black. Can't waste any more time than we already have." Calem spoke.

"I swear...Not one death will go unaccounted for. Not a single one." Hilbert said with a hardened face.

"Your right. It won't. Make the trip and this'll all be just some dumb nightmare."

"Maybe I should...Alright Calem. I'll do it." He said, now more determined than ever.

"When? We all gotta at least party before you save the world."

"I gotta tell Nate about this first. I'm already knowing how he's gonna act. Not really looking forward to that."

"Sounds like a good idea. Gotta keep your family notified." Calem nodded.

The two trudged through the thick layer of snow all the way back to the station. Unbeknownst to them, four figures were silently watching their every move.

"Gear Station...Of course they would hide down there. We must inform the master." One of them said.

They all vanished into thin air in order to report their findings.

Back at the station, the two older boys carried the goods all the way back inside. Everyone cheered loudly as Hilbert and Calem presented them all with the essentials.

Hilbert went up to Cilan and grinned. "Not too shabby, right?" He said to the cook.

"I suppose not. Good work. I'll start preparing some real meals for dinner."

Calem placed a hand on Hilbert's shoulder and smirked. "I'm gonna go give these chocolate bars Serena. Then I'll probably go check up on Elio. Now that I've got some more medicine, I'm sure he'll be back to normal."

Hilbert nodded. "Yeah...I should go tell Nate the plan. I'll come find you when I'm done."

"Good luck man!"

Hilbert walked all over the dimly lit train station in search of his little brother. He called out for him but got no answer.

He decided to ask around to see if anyone had a clue on where his brother might be. This ended with him growing irritated.

"Cilan, have you seen Nate anywhere?"

The green haired man thought for a moment. "I think I saw him taking with Serena right when you left. You can go ask her. She may in fact know of his whereabouts."

"Damn...Alright then…"

Hilbert started walking back towards the Aniville depart section. He was stopped by a group of kids that ran at his legs. Some of them still had food on their faces.

"BLACK! YOU AND CALEM THE COOLEST!" A girl with a red beanie shouted.

"Did you guys go out and fight the bad guy?!" A brown skinned little boy asked.

"Sorry kids but no fight stories this time."

"Aw man!" They all said.

"Have any of you seen Nate around here? I can't find him." Hilbert said. They all shook their heads which caused him to sigh.

He continued walking until he heard what he realized was Calem's voice.

"DAMMIT! Shit! No please!"

Hilbert ran into the train car and saw Serena trying to comfort him. He was on his knees, in front of a body that laid peacefully underneath a blue sheet. His mood dropped instantly and he immediately felt nothing but sympathy for him.

"Oh no...Oh shit…" He couldn't say much else.

"I take it back! I TAKE IT ALL BACK!" Calem screamed. "Don't fucking do this to me!"

"Calem...Let him go…" Serena said softly.

"Let him go?! He died and I wasn't even here with him!"

"I know you're upset but you have to understand. He was hurting...This was the only way out. He's at peace now." She continued.

"...I did this...I didn't try hard enough...I wasn't there enough…" Calem sobbed. His frustrated tear spilled onto his deceased brother. He clutched the blanket with both hands and dropped his head on the body.

Serena walked Hilbert out and wiped away her own set off tears. "I'm sorry that you had to see that Hilbert. He's not taking it too well."

"When did it happen?"

"Right after you both left for supplies. He just couldn't handle the sickness anymore. His body just...just...stopped fighting."

Hilbert looked down. "This whole world is just...Damn!"

"Sun wasn't the only one. Others are more than likely to have contracted some kind of disease. It's only a matter of time before we face an epidemic. A plague in our little community." She said before giving off a little cough.

"Oh shit, not you two…"

"It's just a little cough. I'm fine." She said.

"That's exactly what Sun said. Go grab some medicine for that. Can't have you croak too. You're the only one that can really heal these people."

"I'll handle it. Oh and Nate was asking for you. Wanted to know where you were."

Hilbert looked at her with confusion. "What did you tell him?"

"That you went out for supplies with Calem."

His eyes widened. "No no no…"

"What's wrong?!" Serena asked.

She never got an answer. Hilbert took off. He ran as fast as he could until he made it outside and back into the cold weather. He looked around frantically for him but had no luck.

"NATE!" He shouted at the top if his lungs. He didn't care if he was heard. He wanted to find his little brother.

The chilling wind blew on his cream colored skin as he looked around. He screamed his brother's name over and over again, waiting for a response.

"NATE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

He clenched his fists and grit his teeth with burning hot rage. He didn't want to lose his brother too. He had to find him at all costs.

"NAAAAAAAAAATTTEE!!!"

It had been two hours. Hilbert looked up at the sky. The sun was setting and he still couldn't find his brother. He was close to giving up when he saw a bright light in the near distance. He ran towards it as fast as possible. He stopped and stared at Nate fighting off against a masked man with silver hair. Hilbert immediately recognized him as part of the Shadow Triad.

"Foolish child! What do you hope to achieve from this battle?!" The man asked.

"To prove that I'm stronger than what my douchebag brother thinks I am!" Nate swung his leg at the man only for it to get caught.

"You are not strong young one. You're WEAK!" He slammed his fist into Nate's skull. "You're ARROGANT!" He then kneed him in his gut. "Above all else...You are PATHETIC!" He dropped Nate to the snow with a harsh elbow across his jaw.

"...I can't lose to you! I have to prove...That I'm strong!" Nate shouted.

"You will die a swift death little boy. One that isn't even worthy of our lord."

Hilbert let his anger loose. "Rishiram! I need you! Please assist me!"

His body began to glow with a red aura surrounding him. His eyes went from brown to blue and his hair was now a white coloration. He lifted up his hand and blasted a large orb of fire at the man. He jumped back and avoided the attack.

Hilbert then landed down in front of Nate with a glare stuck on his face.

"Hilbert?! What are you-"

"Not one word. NOT ONE NATE!" He yelled.

"The hero of truth shows his face again. What a lovely surprise. Our lord has been looking all over for you and Reshiram." The Triad member chuckled.

"If you don't wanna die, then I suggest you leave you worthless piece of trash!"

"Really now…" Two more members of the Triads showed up and surrounded him and Nate.

"You all know that you're no threat to me. I've smacked you guys around for years!" Hilbert taunted.

"Today is another day, boy." He ran at Hilbert and attempted to throw a punch to his jaw. Hilbert stood there and took the hit.

"That all? Consider me disappointed." He quickly grabbed the man's arm and snapped it in once swift motion. He kicked him away before pivoting to the left and slamming his foot across another's jaw.

"ALL TOGETHER!" The leader shouted.

Hilbert jumped back and sent a wave of heat at the three of them. He then stepped in front of one and held his hand out in front of their face.

"Tch...Game over!" He sent out a blast of fire from his palm and reduced the man to nothing but ash. The other two look on with slight hesitation. This made Hilbert smirk. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're afraid now. You wanted this issue so now you've got it!" He let a flaming aura surrounding his body before dashing forward. He slammed one to the melting snow with a flaming overhead punch.

"Kill him!" The leader shouted with desperation in his voice.

"Not a chance!" Hilbert was about to attack when Nate jumped ahead and kicked the guy in his face. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"..." Nate ignored him and dashed ahead. He threw a jab at the same guy only to get countered and tossed over by Hilbert.

"Dammit Nate! Answer me when I'm talking to you!" Hilbert growled.

"You said not another word remember." Nate made another attempt to hit the man. Hilbert noticed the dagger that he had discreetly unsheathed and moved forward.

"Stay out of this Nate!"

"This was my fight before you butted in! You stay back!" Nate yelled behind him.

The man quickly drew his blade and made an attempt to slice the distracted Nate.

 ** _~SSSHHLLIIIIIICCCKK~_**

"Wait what?!" The Triads man questioned.

"Holy shit! Hilbert?!" Nate said with shock.

"MOTHER FUCKER!" Hilbert stood there a long slice mark across his left eye. He tried to stop the bleeding with his hand but is was getting harder by they second.

"Hilbert are you okay-"

"LOOK NATE! LOOK WHAT THE FUCK YOU DID!" Hilbert roughly shoved his brother to the snow. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE?! YOU DRIVE ME ABSOLUTELY NUTS WITH ALL THE STUPID KID SHIT THAT YOU DO! STOP TRYING TO PROVE YOURSELF ALL THE DAMN TIME AND JUST WORRY ABOUT STAYING ALIVE!!!"

Nate hadn't ever seen his brother that angry before. He wasn't used to him going off like that. He was...scared of him. He was scared of what he was thinking right now."

"I'm...I'm sorry Hilbert. I mean it! I really am-"

"No! You're not! You're still a kid! You don't know when to grow the fuck up!" Hilbert turned around and sent a flaming fist through the attacker's chest. He looked at the last one and lunged at them with the intent to kill. He burnt him of them to a crisp and kicked his head clean off without hesitation.

Nate stared at the scene with teary eyes. He hadn't cried in years. However, in this very moment, he felt remorse for his actions. He felt regret and shame.

"Hilbert...Please…"

"...You know Calem's little brother just died right?"

Nate wasn't expecting him to say that to him. "What?"

"HEY DIED!" Hilbert shouted. "He's dead and Calem is going through it right now. I've NEVER seen him so upset before. That would've been me along with him if I didn't find you!"

"I just...I wanted to show you-"

"That you were strong?! It won't ever happen! Not like this. You need to cut that shit out Nate. Grow the hell up!" Hilbert started walking back to the station with Nate slowly trailing behind.

When they got back, Serena checked on Hilbert's eye and made her best attempts to heal it. All she managed to do was reduce the external damage. The internal was a different story. He was now blind in his left eye and that was a guarantee.

Nate sat of to the side while Serena bandaged up his brother. He wallowed in his own guilt. He screwed up big this time and didn't know if he'd ever forgive himself for what happened.

"So you wanna explain how the hell this happened?" Serena asked.

Hilbert sent a glare at his brother. "Nate fucked up! That's what the hell happened." Hilbert growled.

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" Nate screamed with tears in his eyes.

"Lighten up Hilbert. He didn't mean to. Plus I managed to make it look less horrific."

"Lighten up? LIGHTEN UP?! If you hadn't noticed, I JUST BECAME A FREAKING CYCLOPS!" Hilbert huffed out of annoyance. "Forget it. How's Cal doing?"

"He won't say anything so I'm really not too sure."

"...I guess it's time then…" Hilbert muttered.

"Time for what? The big plan?" Serena asked.

"I'm guessing Calem filled you in?"

She nodded. "He did."

"What're you guys talking about? What plan?" Nate asked.

Hilbert glared at him again. "The plan that's NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

Serena shushed him and walked next to Nate. "Your brother is going to fix this world. He's going to go back in time and make sure this never happens."

"WHAT?! How are you gonna do that?!"

"With an orb that my mentor gave to me. It has the power to send me anywhere through time. Problem is, I can only do it once. I'm not like Lucas. Once I go back I have to fix things. No do overs."

"So you're never coming back?!" Nate asked.

"I won't need to. Once I get there and fix things, none of this will ever have happened. Next time we all meet, it'll hopefully be on better terms. No more death and suffering." Hilbert told him.

"So this is...goodbye?" He asked his big brother.

"Yeah...I guess it is…" Hilbert nodded. "Where I'm going, you're still an infant and I'll only be six years old."

"How are you even gonna save the world?" Nate asked.

"The person I need to find is the one person that can stop this madness from taking place. He was my friend and my idol. I looked up to him. He died before his time. If he were still around than we'd never have to deal with Kyurem. He'd beat him easily."

"Who is it? This person that you have to meet?"

"My old teacher, Lucas!"

 **A/N: Well here we are. This is where things start to get more mature. Much more intense language and more violence in the fights. Both in Pokemon battles AND the actual life or death fights.**

 **Won't lie, didn't expect to finish two chapters this week so...GO ME! I'm really enjoying this story in terms of writing it so more chapters are on the way! Really appreciate the praise. Keeps me motivated so thanks for that.**

 **If you're new to this story then let me know some feedback. Summer's over and I wanna get more involved as a writer so I appreciate any and all suggestions.**

 **Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	8. Divided Forest

_"Lucas! Lucas! Lucas! Lucas! Lucas! Lucas! Lucas! Lucas! Lucas! Lucas!"_

"WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU WANT TURTWIG?!?!" The boy shouted with a vein bulging from the side of his forehead.

 _"So...You remember when you told me to go find a source of food while Buizel and Sparks found water?"_

"What did YOU do?"

 _"Nothing! Except for maybe...Burn down a couple of trees…"_ Lucas narrowed his eyes. _"Relax, I'm just kidding. I really just knocked them over."_

Lucas slapped his forehead and glared. "Why?! Why on Earth would you even think to do that? And what the heck are we supposed to eat for breakfast now?! Rocks? You want to eat rocks Turtwig?!"

 _"What? Who's eating rocks?"_

"YOU WILL IF WE DON'T FIND FOOD!" Lucas shouted.

 _"Calm down Lucas. We'll survive!"_

"A morning without breakfast because YOU wanna beat on some stupid plants! What's wrong with you?!"

 _"It's all part of my training! I gotta be super tough for the next gym battle! Can't let Sparks take all the credit! I'm gonna one-shot everything! Just you watch!"_

Lucas stared at him. "...Yeah it's a grass type gym so I highly doubt that. You do have a point though. My team isn't really suited to fight a squad of grass types. This could get ugly if we're not careful."

 _"Lucky for you, I just so happen to be the best grass type in all of existence!"_ Turtwig shouted.

That's when Sparks and Buizel emerged from a few bushes with buckets of water.

 _"I could hear your ridiculous boasting all the way from the stream…"_ Sparks grumbled with annannoyance in his tone.

Buizel looked around frantically. _"Hey! Where's all the food at?!"_ Buizel asked as his stomach growled.

"Sorry you guys. Our certified gatherer thought that hitting a tree was more important than FOOD!"

Sparks rolled his eyes. _"Figure's he'd let us all starve to death…"_

 _"Shut up you psychotic freak! Why are you even complaining?! You barely even eat berries!"_

 _"I would if it meant not dying you idiot!"_ Sparks shouted.

 _"I may not have brought back food, but I do know where to find some."_

 _"Well then quit holdin' out on us! Where's the food?!"_ Buizel asked with hostility.

 _"C'mon guys! Follow me!"_ Turtwig said happily.

Buizel followed closely behind him. He was hungry and eager to find any source of food available.

Sparks looked up at Lucas and tugged on his pant leg.

"What is it Sparks?"

 _"About last night...Could you...I dunno...Not tell the others. I'd rather them not know."_ He said.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Sure thing buddy. It'll be our little secret." Lucas said with a bright smile.

 _"Thanks."_ Sparks smiled up at him. It was something very rare to see but ended up making Lucas happy.

"No problem."

Sparks stared up at Lucas' wrapped up arm. _"How's your arm doing?"_

"Not too sure. It's itchy but I can't scratch it. It hurts at random times and is almost impossible to move. Kinda sucks."

Sparks nodded at him and secretly hoped that his trainer would be alright.

They continued walking behind the other two with Turtwig still leading the way. The little grass type lead them to a gap between two large trees. On the ground was a blanket and a singular picnic basket.

 _"Breakfast is served!"_ Turtwig grinned.

 _"YES! Finally! I'm gonna destroy that basket!"_ Buizel said with his mouth salivating.

"Oh no you don't!" Lucas grabbed him and Turtwig whole sending them dirty looks.

 _"BUT WHY?!?!"_ They both whined.

"Two reasons. One...it's not ours and two IT'S NOT OURS!!!"

 _"So what? It's not like anyone is gonna miss it! Its one little basket with potentially amazing goodies inside!"_ Turtwig yelled.

"What if somebody took your food? Then how would you feel?" Lucas asked sternly.

 _"I'd murder them in cold blood and dump the body in the deepest of Carvana infested waters."_ Buizel muttered.

"...Um...Yes! That is a good...Very morbid depiction of how you would...probably be if your food was taken...Anyways, it's not cool to take other people's stuff you guys. We'll have to find something else." Lucas said with hopes of getting through to them.

 _"...Turtwig already opened the basket."_ Sparks said.

"OH COME ON!" Lucas stomped towards him and glared. "Get outta that basket!"

 _"But these sandwiches are so freaking good! You gotta try one, Lucas!"_

"NO! Now gimme this!" Lucas snatched the basket away and glared.

 _"HEY! I wasn't done with that!"_

 _"I didn't even get one!"_ Buizel shouted.

"Too bad! Nobody is taking another bite from this basket!" Lucas yelled.

"HEY YOU!" Yelled an unfamiliar voice.

Lucas turned around and saw a green haired girl that was walking towards him with a somewhat non-threatening glare on her face. She was about an inch or two taller than Lucas and was probably about a year or two older than him as well. On her side was a large, round, pink Pokemon with a passive face that Sparks hated.

"Who are you?" The boy asked.

"The owner of that basket that you're stealing from right now you thief!"

"Thief?! No! You got it all wrong. My Pokemon were the ones tryna make a meal outta your sandwiches! We're all really hungry so they thought that this was the best choice, which it clearly wasn't!" He sent Turtwig a mean look.

"We would've been happy to share some food with you. All you had to do was ask us." She huffed.

"Look, I'm sorry about your whole picnic thing. Could we please get some food. We're all starving and I'm not too sure it's a good idea to travel through Eterna Forest on an empty stomach."

"Wait, you're going through the forest too?" She asked.

Lucas scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Gotta get to Eterna City. Preferably before nightfall."

The older girl thought for a moment. "Fine. You can take some IF you escort me through the forest."

 _"Yeah...No! C'mon Lucas. Let's just leave her. She'll only be a liability."_ Sparks said.

Turtwig shoved him out of the way. _"NO! Take the deal! We need this!"_

Lucas looked at Buizel who was drooling over the basket. The boy sighed and looked back at the forest ahead.

"You have a deal." Lucas nodded.

The girl tossed him the basket. They tore apart the contents inside after only a few seconds. Once done, Lucas got up and grinned. "Okay, those were pretty good."

"Thanks for noticing. I did make them myself." She said with a smile.

"So what's your name. Figured if we're gonna be traveling through this forest together, we should at least get acquainted."

"I guess that's pretty reasonable. My name is Cheryl. I'm traveling with my Chansey in search of something very important. Something only found in Eterna Forest." She said.

"Lucas. I'm on my way to fight the grass type gym leader." Lucas bowed.

"Well if that's the case, we should probably start moving then. It's a pretty big forest."

"Right." Lucas looked at his team. "You ready guys?"

 _"Let's just get this done!"_ Sparks groaned.

"Okay..." Lucas chuckled nervously at Spark's bitter tone.

They all started their trek and entered the dense forest of Eterna. The tall and thick trees blocked out the sky leaving only small showers of sunlight.

 _"I don't know why but this place gives me the chills."_ Buizel said as he looked around with a frightened expression.

 _"You'll be fine so long as you stay by the group."_ Turtwig said.

 _"Still...Something feels...off."_

"Yeah, I can feel it too. It's so ominous." Lucas said.

"What?" Cheryl asked with confusion.

"Huh?"

"You said something...Where you talking to me?" She asked.

Lucas shook his head. "No, I was talking to my Pokemon."

"You can actually understand them?!"

"Yeah...It was weird at first but I'm starting to get used to it now." Lucas shrugged.

Cheryl looked at him with narrowed eyes. "What else can you do?"

"Well lots of stuff I guess. I'd show you but my arm…"

Cheryl looked at his injury closely. "I might be able to fix that."

"You can?! That's great! Here I thought that I'd have to start writing with my other hand."

Cheryl sent out a pink Pokemon. She smiled and pointed to Lucas. "Mind helping him out Chansey? He's got a pretty bad arm." The pokemon nodded and stepped towards the boy.

"...So what happens now?"

Lucas's team looked on with caution. Sparks gave an intimidating stare while Turtwig readied himself. Buizel quivered behind the two, unsure about the situation.

 _"What's she doing?!"_ Sparks growled.

 _"Maybe she's trying to kill him!"_ Buizel yelled.

 _"As if! I'd never let that happened."_ Turtwig muttered.

The Chansey held up an egg and handed it to Lucas. He stared at it with wonder.

"What's this for? Brunch?"

Cheryl laughed at his comment. "Well sorta...You just eat it I guess."

"...Is that even sanitary?"

"I dunno. I've never had her do this with a person before. You live and you learn I guess."

Lucas stared at it with an uneasy look. He grabbed the egg and downed it in one gulp. He shivered with discomfort as his stomach roared with displeasure.

He looked at his arm and felt nothing about it changing. This caused him to glare at the green haired girl.

"IT DIDN'T EVEN WORK!"

"I said that I wasn't sure!"

 _"Can I have some?"_ Buizel asked.

"NO!" Lucas shouted.

After trying to forget the horrid taste in his mouth, Lucas decided that they should continue forward.

 _"The rock guy was correct. There are lots of filthy bugs roaming around here."_ Sparks said with an annoyed scoff.

Turtwig glared at them all. _"I hate bug types!"_

 _"Is it because they'll eat you and that dumb lead on your head?"_ Sparks teased.

 _"You shut up! Don't think that you're oh so special because you evolved first! I'm still tougher!"_

Sparks smirked. _"YOU tougher than ME?! HA! Don't make me laugh grass type. You're still a short and stubby little reserve. I bet that Buizel is stronger than you and he's a useless water type!"_

 _"I CAN BE USEFUL!!!"_ Buizel yelled.

 _"Oh really? How's that?"_

 _"I uh...I can put out fires and I can swim really fast!"_ Buizel said proudly.

 _"And just like that, you already contribute more than Leafy over here."_

 _"THAT'S IT! YOU WANNA DIE YOU DUMB HOUSE CAT!"_

 _"As if you could even touch me"_

Lucas and Cheryl stopped in the middle of the dividing path and looked at the scene before them.

"Why do they hate each other so much?" Cheryl asked.

Lucas glared at them both before stepping in between. "I thought you agreed to stop arguing so much!"

 _"It's not MY fault!"_ They yelled in unison.

"Oh I see...SO YOU'RE BOTH GUILTY!"

 _"I might have an idea!"_ Buizel said with a grin.

 _"You?! Sorry to burst your bubble but you gotta be in the crew longer if you wanna be a part of discussion."_ Turtwig stated.

 _"WHAT?! How is that even fair?!"_

"Cut it out Turtwig!" Lucas hissed.

 _"I'm just telling it how it is! Gosh!"_

Buizel sighed before pointing to the two paths ahead. _"Why don't we all split up into two groups. Turtwig, Lucas and I will take the right path. Sparks, Cheryl and Chansey can go left. This way, we can get outta here with little distraction and no arguments."_

 _"Fine…"_ Turtwig grumbled.

 _"WHAT?! NO! NOT FINE!"_ Sparks shouted. _"Why do I have to go with the stranger lady?! Let Turtwig go with her!"_

 _"You're the strongest Pokemon here. You're the most qualified to protect them."_

 _"Psh...I bet I could do better…"_ Turtwig mumbled to himself.

 _"Lucas! You possibly can't be okay with this!"_

The boy shrugged and kneeled down next to his electric type.

"I want you to do this because I know that I can trust you. You're strong and determined. If anyone can keep them safe, it's you. We'll all meet up at the exit and probably grab a bite to eat before kicking the butt of that gym leader."

 _"Fine…You better make it out alive!"_

Lucas nodded. "Be safe."

 _"Ugh! Enough sappy crap! Let's go already!"_ Turtwig said impatiently.

They all went their separate ways. Lucas was leading Turtwig and Buizel while Sparks was guiding Cheryl and Chansey. They all still had a long way to go before reaching the end of the forest.

 **With Lucas...**

 _"It's about time we ditched the flea bag. Now you can finally make me stronger!"_ Turtwig said happily.

Lucas was taken back by his choice of words. He turned towards the grass type and crossed his arms.

"What are you tryna say?"

" _I'm tryna say that you stink as a trainer! I still feel the same as when we both first left Sandgem! I don't feel all that much more powerful Lucas!"_

"WHAT?! How can you even think that?!"

 _"I'm just sayin' dude. I feel left behind!"_

"Well I'm sorry that my lame, arrogant, know it all dad wouldn't let me go to trainer school with the "bottom tier" kids! I've never really learned how to train a pokemon! I've spent most of my time learning about how they function." Lucas huffed.

 _"Well then use what you know to help me!"_ Turtwig said with a hopeful smile.

"I'll try dude but I can't guarantee anything…"

 _"So what am I supposed to do?"_ Buizel asked.

Turtwig smirked. _"Just sit there and take notes! I'm about to evolve!"_

 _"Why do I have to watch?! Plus, aren't the others gonna be waiting for us at the exit?"_

"We won't be too long Buizel. Plus, I need to beef you up too. Get you battle ready." Lucas said.

Buizel stared at them both before grinning. _"You know what? Take your time you guys. I'll just wait patiently and not make a single sound."_

 _"Good! Bout time you listened."_ Turtwig snorted.

"Wow...You're one to talk…"

 _"Forget about all that! Let's start the training already!"_

 **With Sparks…**

The stoic Luxio surveyed the area with his usual scowl. He kept watch for any signs of sudden danger and was on high alert for any indications of trouble. His large ears picked up on every little sound. He was ready for any sort of foe.

"So...How long have you been traveling with Lucas?" Cheryl asked in hopes of easing the tensed Pokemon.

"..."

"Right...Do you like battling?"

 _"Stop talking!"_ Sparks growled at her with a full showing of his sharp fangs.

"...Are you hungry? Huh, little guy?"

 _"Oh right, she can't speak Pokemon language...Just great…"_ Sparks grumbled.

"If you want, I could share some of my berries with you. Chansey and I picked a ton!"

 _"I dont care! SHUT UP!"_ Sparks yelled.

"Here you go! A few Oran berries should work for you." She held out a handful of berries for Sparks to eat.

Sparks glared daggers at her before turning away and continuing his walk.

"Guess he isn't too big on Orans…"

 **With Lucas...**

"NOPE!" Lucas shouted with a playful grin. "YOU MISSED!" He hopped over a hefty amount of leaves. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU EVEN AIMING AT?!"

Turtwig grew angrier by the second. He was slowly losing his mind with each and every taunt that Lucas gave.

 _"QUIT MAKING FUN OF ME!"_

"Or what?! You gonna actually hit me or something? I'm like five feet away! Hit your freaking target dude!"

 _"I'm trying! You're just too fast!"_

Lucas laughed. "I haven't even started trying yet Little Green!"

 _"...Little Green?"_

"Well yeah. You wanted a nickname so...There you go!"

 _"But that name sucks!"_

"Too bad Little Green! Until you can hit me, that's your name. Isn't that right Buizel?"

"..." There wasn't a singular sound.

"Uh...Buizel?" Lucas looked around. "Where'd he go?"

 _"I dunno. Maybe he went looking for food again. Oh, or maybe he went to go splash around in a dumb puddle. Either way that's totally not important right now! I'm still kicking your butt Lucas!"_

"Whatever you say."

 **With Buizel…**

 _"Finally managed to slip away from those weirdos. Now I can get back home and go back to my life of soaking wet relaxation!"_

The water type walked down a path that he believed was the entrance. He then saw a bush that had multiple red berries. Taking this as an opportunity for free food, Buizel ran up and started scarfing down the berries on by one.

A large bug type walked out from a patch if grass. _"Yeah so then I was all big and bad. I straight up told that dumb bird that I wasn't afraid. I don't know who she even thinks she is telling me what to do. I practically run this forest! She thinks that she's some high authority that she can boss around. Please! I'd pluck each and every feather off of that stupid-"_

 _"Who the heck is that?!"_ Asked the other bug type.

 _"Better question is WHY HE'S EATING MY BERRIES?!"_

Buizel looked up at the two of them with food stuffed cheeks. He smiled at them with fake innocence.

 _"H-hey fellas! These aren't YOUR berries are they?"_

 _"Yes...They are…"_ The big one said angrily.

 _"...Do you take apologies?"_ Buizel asked

 _"Only if they're written in blood you thieving little twerp."_

 _"I uh...You see...This was all just a bit of a mistake! I don't want any trouble with you guys. I was just heading home."_ Buizel stuttered.

 _"Too late for that!"_ The buff, blue, bug charged at Buizel and rammed him in his chest with his large horn.

Buizel wasn't too fond on his chances of surviving. He started trying to think of excuses and ways to get out of his predicament. _"Y...You guys better leave me alone. I'll get my trainer on you!"_

 _"You don't look like the type to have a trainer with you. I'd say that you're bluffing."_

 _"WHAT?! NO WAY!"_ Buizel chuckled. _"All I gotta do is yell and he'll be here in seconds!"_

 _"I think you're lying!"_ The dark blue bug said aggressively.

 _"Go ahead...Take that chance…"_

 **With Sparks...**

Sparks was still leading the way to the exit. Only now, Cheryl and Chansey were lagging behind.

Sparks halted and sniffed around. He grit his teeth when he picked up on a familiar scent.

 _"Galactic...I can smell the spandex."_

"What's the matter?"

Sparks crouched down and moved stealthily through a patch of tall grass. Each step filled his nose with more and more of the well known smell. He stopped and stared at Two similarly dressed men.

He focused on them both before slowly moving in closer. His hunter instincts kicked in and his claws were out.

 _"I have to take them both down quickly and quietly."_

Spark signaled the other two to get low and stay quiet. He crept forward until he was about two meters away. He stalked them from the grounded foliage, taking in every little movement.

Spark listened closely to their conversations. He then noticed their ever growing distance. They were separating in order to cover more of the forest. This was just what Sparks wanted. He swiftly closed in on the lone grunt and bit down on his leg with Thunder Fang. The man's body shook against his will. He made an attempt to scream for help but his cries were pointless. He couldn't talk and he couldn't escape the jaws Sparks.

The electric type dragged the stunned man into the tall grass and left his paralyzed body unseen. He then moved quickly and quietly towards the next one and shocked him till he was unconscious.

He scanned the area before nodding at the other two.

"Wow! You're actually pretty tough. Guess that boy was right about you." Cheryl said.

Sparks shook his head and sighed before walking ahead.

 **With Lucas…**

 _"LUCAS!!! HELP ME!!! PLEASE!!! AAAUAUAHGGHH!!!"_

Lucas and Turtwig abruptly stopped their little spar and looked in the direction of the panicked scream.

"Was that Buizel?!"

Turtwig rolled his eyes. _"It has to be. Only he could scream like that…_ "

The two ran deeper into the forest in search for the lone water type. When they found him, he was being wrapped up in a large amount of webbing.

 _"This is soooooooo gross! SOMEBODY GET ME OUTTA HERE!"_

"BUIZEL!" Lucas shouted.

 _"Huh? OH HEY! LUCAS! Boy am I glad to see you! The mean bug types found me and started attacking. Teach them a lesson!"_ Buizel said with a proud smirk.

Lucas glared that the multiple bug types. Some looked familiar while others were very much new to him.

"Let him go! NOW!"

 _"We ain't afraid of you! Your just a human! Now you and your trash team are on our turf, you're all gonna be dinner!"_

"Alrighty then…" Lucas stepped in front of the multiple bugs and surrounded himself with fire. The Pokemon looked with shock and awe that soon turned into straight up fear.

 _"What'd I say? Told you guys you were gonna get it!"_ Buizel chuckled.

Lucas repelled the bugs away with the intense flames. Neither one of them were ready to deal with the boy and decided it was best to just leave.

"Freakin' pests…" After helping Buizel, the boy decided that he wanted answers from the water type.

 _"Come on guys! It wasn't that big of a deal."_

 _"WE CAN'T EVEN TRUST YOU TO SIT ON A ROCK! I TOLD YOU LUCAS! ABSOLUTELY USELESS!"_

"Alright Turtwig lay off of him." He said to the grass type. He then narrowed his eyes at Buizel. "Why did you run off in the first place?"

 _"I uh...Got hungry…"_ He lied.

 _"I'm not buying it! Tie him up and lock him in the pokeball!"_

"What?! Shut up Turtwig. We're not tying him up!" Lucas huffed. "Look Buizel, please just tell me if you're hungry. I'm hungry too you know."

 _"We all are but you don't see me and Sparks running away!"_

"Darn it Turtwig! I said cool it! Now c'mon! We've wasted WAY too much time as it is. The others are probably waiting for us at the exit by now."

 _"Then what are we waiting for?!"_ Turtwig shouted as he ran off.

 _"I was so close…"_ Buizel sighed.

They all walked back along the narrow and grassy path on their way to the exit of Eterna Forest. As they walked, they came across multiple bodies. All were Galactic grunts.

 _"Geez...What the heck happened to them?"_ Buizel asked.

Lucas examined them all closely. He noticed the slight jolts of electricity moving around them.

"Looks like Sparks and the others ran into some trouble."

 _"Doesn't really matter now. He clearly took care of it."_

"I know...It's just that...You know what? Nevermind dude. Let's just go alright?"

 _"Thank you! Sheesh man. For a second, I was starting to think that you were getting all soft for these guys."_

Lucas thought back to the Jubilife City explosion, then to the incident at the Windworks. He then shook his head.

"No way. They deserve what they got."

 _"I agree. Now let's keep it pushin' Lucas! I think I see the others."_

After another three minutes of walking, the trio regrouped with Sparks, Cheryl and her Chansey.

 _"What the heck took you guys so long?"_ Sparks growled.

"We got sidetracked…"

 _"Woulda been here sooner but SOMEONE got hungry...BUIZEL! Absolutely freaking useless!"_ Turtwig yelled.

 _"He has a point…"_ Sparks muttered

 _"WOULD YOU GUYS SCREW OFF!"_

"Alright alright calm down you guys. We finally made our way to the exit so let's all just be chill."

Cheryl kneeled down and rubbed Sparks' fur. "Thanks so much little guy. You're somehow cute AND terrifying at the same time." Cheryl looked at Lucas and grinned. "You've got yourself a real monster right there."

"...I know…" He sighed.

"Well since this is goodbye and you did technically help me through, I guess I should let you in on something. Sinnoh is going through some dark times Lucas. You should really watch your back from here on out."

"What brought this up?"

"The Galactic guys are all over the place now. I don't know what they're planning but from how they do things, it can't be anything good. You're tough so I'm sure you'll be alright. I just thought that I'd fill you in."

"Well thanks for that, but I think we'll be fine. We'll get stronger as we go."

 _"All of us except for Buizel…"_ Turtwig said bluntly.

 _"Yep…"_ Sparks nodded

 _"I hate you all so much!"_ Buizel whined.

Cheryl bowed before them and started walking off. Lucas took note of the path that she took and called out to her.

"Wait! You know that Eterna City is the other way right?"

Cheryl smiled and nodded. "I know. I came this all this way to find the Old Chateau. It's not too far from here actually."

"Old Chateau? What's in there?"

"Not much. Really just old memories and sentiments. You all take care now."

Lucas looked at her and Chansey walk off and sighed. "Well I guess that's our cue to leave. Come on guys! Next stop, Eterna City!"

 _"RIGHT!"_ They all cheered with the will to win. They all knew what the next gym would be like. They were excited. None more so than Turtwig himself.


	9. Failure Added to the List

_"HEY! I THINK I SEE THE CITY GUYS!"_

"Calm down Lil' Green."

 _"STOP CALLING ME THAT! Sheesh! I'm just glad to finally be out of that dumb forest."_

 _"Honestly...it's not that big of a deal. It's just another stupid city that we're only gonna be in for maybe a day or two. Three days tops."_ Sparks groaned.

 _"You are such a buzzkill! Would it kill you to show a little enthusiasm?!"_ Turtwig yelled back.

 _"Not as much as it'd kill me to get a whiff of your leafy breath."_

 _"Oh…"_ Buizel said in response.

 _"Keep talking! I'll shut you up right now house cat."_

 _"Then do it seed for brains!"_

"No! Now shut it! Both of you!" Lucas growled.

 _"...I'm hungry…"_ Buizel whined.

This drove Lucas mad. He was on the verge of ripping the hair off of his head. "I KNOW! JUST HOLD ON FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES! GOSH!!!"

 _"Way to go Buizel. You made him upset!"_ Turtwig sneered.

 _"ME?! YOU TWO STARTED IT!"_

"YOU ALL STARTED IT!!!" Lucas put them all back in their respective pokeballs and sighed. He decided to continue on without anymore distractions.

He walked across a bridge of fishermen and greeted them as he passed by. As soon as he was across the bridge, he was finally in Eterna City. However, his joy for making it there was short lived due to the sight of the multiple Team Galactic members that walked throughout the city as if having some kind of authority.

"Guess Cheryl was right. It's like an infestation." Lucas said to himself. He wandered around the place only to get stopped by one of the grunts.

"What are you still doing out here you little brat?! Don't you know that you're out past curfew?"

Lucas looked at his watch. "Curfew? But it's only half past five…"

"EXACTLY! All residents of the city must be in their homes by five o'clock sharp! You must be an outsider. You need to head back the way you came kid!"

Lucas laughed at his words. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to get here? I broke my arm just to make it to Eterna City and get my next badge! I'm not leaving without one!"

"Badge? As in a gym badge?!"

"NO! I'm just some happy go lucky boy scout trying to get his "unnecessary walking" badge!" He said sarcastically.

The man huffed with annoyance. "Sucks to be you then kid! The gym leader has been apprehended by Commander Jupiter and is being held on the third floor. She thought that she'd be a match for Team Galactic. What an idiot!"

Lucas glared and looked at the large Galactic building. "I just can't catch a break!" He dug his fist into the man's stomach and snapped his head back with a nasty uppercut that knocked him out.

He made his way over to the building only to get ran over by a guy with blonde hair that he knew all too well.

"WHOA! Watch where you're going buddy! Otherwise, you'll be getting a fat fine from-"

"GET OFF OF ME YOU IDIOT!" Lucas yelled.

"Lucas? Hey man! About time you got here!" Barry got up and held his hand out for Lucas to grab.

The dark haired boy ignored the gesture and picked himself up. He dusted himself off and shot a nasty look at Barry.

"What the heck is your problem?!"

"Oh, well you see I was getting chased by a couple Galactic guys. Something about being out past curfew. I dunno, was too busy getting my gym badge to care. That's what you're here for, right?"

"Obviously. Guess I'm a little late again. The leader got captured and now I have to go in that stupid building and fight my way through." Lucas grumbled.

"With that messed up arm?! What even happened to you?"

"I had a run in with...Why am I even telling you all of this? Look, I don't feel like catching up right now so I'm gonna go."

Barry grabbed his shirt and stopped him. "Wait! Let me help you out. You're not one hundred percent so you could probably use a hand."

This made Lucas sneer at him with disgust. "No thanks. You already have your stupid badge. You can go move on to the next town."

"WHAT?! No way! You're helping this town all by yourself! What kinda friend would I be if I just left?"

Lucas pondered on his words before quickly dismissing them."...No! We aren't friends! Now hit the road Barry!"

Lucas ran over towards the building and tried to think of a plan to break in. He left Barry standing there with narrowed eyes. The blonde decided that he'd help in his own way regardless of what Lucas said.

The Eterna City Galactic building stood before Lucas with an intimidating presence to it. That didn't stop him though. He was ready, regardless of how damaged one of his arms were.

He stepped forward but quickly stopped when he felt something behind him. Something that he couldn't quite figure out.

"It's troubling isn't it?" Said a strong yet feminine voice.

He looked back and saw a taller, blonde haired woman that was dressed in black. Lucas took note of her demeanor. The way she carried herself seem to hold a powerful yet beautiful status. Status that demanded respect.

"I uh...Well um...Y-yeah, I guess…" He stuttered.

"So are you from around here young man?" She asked.

"Who me?! Nope! No way!" He spoke quickly with sweat dripping down his face.

The woman smiled at him. "Ah, so you're traveling. You wouldn't happen to be a trainer would you?"

"Yeah...I came here looking for my second badge but these stupid space freaks keep getting in my way! I'm about to go knock a couple of heads loose!" Lucas said as he cracked his knuckles.

"They are ruining the peace of this city. I came here in order to handle things but you seem quite eager to do so yourself. Though, that wrapped up arm is somewhat concerning." The woman said.

"Tch...You bet I'm eager! Look lady, you can sit this one out. I got this! Plus there's someone I need to have a rematch with." Lucas said back.

"Well if you think you can handle it then be my guest. Please do be careful…"

"Lucas. My name is Lucas."

"Cynthia. It's quite nice to meet you Lucas. You're a brave young man."

"I know!" He sprinted off leaving Cynthia wondering who he really was. He quickly charged through the front doors and stared at every grunt in sight. "If you don't want your face rearranged, then get outta my way!" He threatened.

They all ignored his words and stood before him. One grunt took the initiative and went for a wild punch that Lucas easily caught in his good hand. He pulled the grunt into a kick and sent him flying into a desk.

"What the hell?!"

Lucas smirked. "Anyone else want what he's having?"

That's when they sent out their Pokemon to attack. This caused Lucas to smirk even wider. He threw out his team of three and they all looked around with "confused" written all over their faces.

 _"...Are we still in trouble?"_ Turtwig asked Lucas.

"Yes! But do you know how to get _out_ of trouble?"

Buizel raised his flipper. _"By asking really nicely?"_

"...No! It's by kicking butt with me!"

 _"Even better!"_ Sparks said as he scowled at all the other Pokemon.

"Sparks, use quick attack! Turtwig! Razor Leaf! Buizel you-"

 _"Just sit there and cheer for the real heroes!"_ Turtwig interjected.

 _"WHAT?! NO WAY! I'M FIGHTING TOO!"_ Buizel yelled.

 _"Fine...If we all get overheated, use your water type moves to cool us down."_

 _"Will you two shut up! They're coming!"_ Sparks hissed.

"Buizel, use Water Gun!" Lucas yelled out.

They all did as they were told while Lucas dealt with the many spandex wearing young adults in close quarters.

Sparks zipped around the room while landing rapid hits on a group of Zubat and Skunky. Turtwig kept his distance and shot out a wave of leaves at a few Bronzor while Buizel finished them off with his Water Gun.

Lucas had dropped the last grunt to the ground and nodded to his team. He was about to move on but was suddenly grabbed from behind. He glared and elbowed the still standing grunt in his torso, doubling him over in the process.

"Geez! You sure don't hold back there kid. Man...I think I need to...sit down for a moment…" The man said.

"You got a lot of nerve tryna sneak up on me. Now you'll burn to nothing but ashes!" Lucas held out his right hand and let the bright orange flames surround it.

The grunt quickly backed away and held up his hand in order to surrender. He grabbed his hair and pulled it off of his head.

"It's me! Looker! You remember right? I'm apart of the international police. I'm currently undercover right now."

"I figured…"

Looker put his wig back on and cleared his throat. "I see that you're here to lend a helping hand. That's fantastic! You see, this city's gym leader is on the top floor with one of the commanders. She came to put a stop to this madness but she hasn't come back for quite some time now."

"Yeah, I know. That's kinda why I'm here. I want my badge and if the gym leader is busy fighting Galactic then I need to help speed up the process." Lucas scoffed. "Can't believe this…"

"Well given how easily you disposed of these fools I'd say you'll be more than fine. Though, that arm does concern me a bit."

Lucas looked at his damaged arm. "It'll be fine. I don't need it at one hundred percent to handle these clowns. Just go get the police while I clean up around here."

"I won't argue with that plan young man! Do be careful now." Looker said before running out of the building.

 _"That guy somehow got weirder since the last time we saw him…"_ Turtwig laughed.

"You said it. Now come on! I wanna end this mess preferably before Barry gets two badges ahead of me."

They pressed on up the stairs until they made it to the next floor where Lucas saw another group if grunts. The team made quick work of them before moving on to the topmost level of the Galactic building.

The room was all out of sorts. Desks and chairs were scattered all around the place. Holes in walls and above all else, a battle was happening in the middle of it all.

A somewhat tall woman with cargo shorts and hiker boots was battling against a purple haired Galactic woman with about ten grunts behind her.

Lucas watched from the sidelines along with his team. All were baffled by the sheer display of power that both gave off.

 _"What kind of grass type is that?"_ Turtwig asked with excitement.

Lucas scanned both with his dex. The first was a grass type known as a Grotle. The other was a Skuntank.

"That grass type is apparently what you evolve into."

 _"Really?! Cool!"_

Sparks rolled his eyes. _"If you like being an overgrown bush then sure."_

 _"It's better than your dumb evolution you stupid housecat!"_

 _"You guys have issues…"_ Buizel chuckled.

 _"SHUT UP!"_ Both yelled with rage.

"Finish this Skuntank!" The Galactic woman yelled as she covered her face.

A large puff of toxic gas spewed from its backside and polluted the air.

Everyone started coughing violently. Lucas dropped down to his knees and tried to cover his mouth and nose. He watched as his team and the gym leader's Grotle slowly gave in to the poisonous gas.

Lucas was growing worried and losing sight of what he could do. He lifted his hand and fired of a blast of fire through a wall and created a hole that let the toxic air escape.

"So you're the brat that has the odd powers." The woman said with a smirk.

Lucas stood back up with fresh air back in his lungs. He looked back at his team with concern. "You guys alright?"

 _"We're fine! Just tell us what to do!"_ Sparks yelled.

"Sparks, I want you to clear out the extras. Turtwig, you go on and team up with the Grotle, Buizel…"

 _"YES!"_ He said with hopeful eyes.

"Um...You can...Ah shoot…"

 _"...Well spit it out already!"_ He huffed.

"Why don't you go back up Sparks."

 _"Aw...Why don't I ever get the cool orders? I'm always either backup or the errand boy!"_

Sparks snarled. _"Shut up and get a move on!"_

 _"Would it kill ya to say please?! Gosh!"_

Both ran off and engaged in combat while Turtwig ran up next to the slightly weakened Grotle.

 _"HI! MY NAME IS TURTWIG AND I'M A TURTWIG! IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU! I HOPE THAT I CAN BE ANY SORT OF HELP TO YOU! NOT THAT YOU NEED IT OR ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU'RE SUPER STRONG AS IT IS BUT STILL!"_

The larger grass type started sweating nervously as Turtwig continued to ramble on like a fanboy.

 _"Um...Just try to keep your distance okay…"_ Grotle said with unease.

 _"So while you press on, I'll keep it ranged! That's genius!"_

 _"Right…"_

Both grass types looked at the poison type that readied itself for an attack.

"Skuntank, use Night Slash!" The woman yelled.

The large purple Pokemon lunged forward and attempted to slice the Grotle but was cut off by a small but precise stream of sharp leaves that hit it dead on.

 _"YEAH! I GOT IT!"_ Turtwig cheered.

Lucas stood next the what he assumed was the grass type gym leader. The woman smiled at the constant hits that the Turtwig was landing.

"Not too shabby. That little guy really knows how to aim."

Lucas scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I guess he was getting better. That whole time in the forest, he couldn't land a singular leaf on me."

"Well I don't know what kinda motivation you gave that Turtwig but it seems to be working."

"...Motivation?" Lucas thought back to their brief time in the forest.

 **"NOPE!" Lucas shouted with a playful grin. "YOU MISSED!" He hopped over a hefty amount of leaves. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU EVEN AIMING AT?!"**

 **Turtwig grew angrier by the second. He was slowly losing his mind with each and every taunt that Lucas gave.**

 ** _"QUIT MAKING FUN OF ME!"_**

 **"Or what?! You gonna actually hit me or something? I'm like five feet away! Hit your freaking target!"**

 ** _"I'm trying! You're just too fast!"_**

 **Lucas laughed. "I haven't even started trying yet Little Green!"**

 ** _"...Little Green?"_**

 **"Well yeah. You wanted a nickname so there you go!"**

 ** _"But that name sucks!"_**

 **"Too bad Little Green! Until you can hit me, that's your name. Isn't that right Buizel?"**

Lucas could only wonder just how much his constant taunts could push his starter. He made a note of that and would remember it for the future.

"Why are you even here?!" The Galactic woman asked.

"Huh?" The kid asked.

"I asked you why you came here little boy. The Eterna City Galactic building is no place for a child. You here to free the Pokemon?" She asked.

"...I'm sorry, what?"

"Do you even know who I am?!" The woman asked.

"Uh...No and what do you mean by free the Pokemon? You locked up Pokemon in this depressing place?"

"Okay first off, my name is Commander Jupiter. Second, we are here to conduct a special kind of research that our leader Cyrus has ordered. Third, you and that pathetic gym leader are meddling in business that does not concern you!"

"Commander Jupiter huh...Well given the fact that you're another leader, I have no choice but beat you into the ground! Add to the fact that you're holding Pokemon hostage and you've got the perfect formula for easily pissing me off."

"HA! You're trying to get all big and bad now? You're just some little shit kid that got beaten down by Mars! I'll have you know that I'm higher ranked than she is. Your oh so special lil' powers aren't gonna save you kid." Jupiter smirked.

Lucas glared. "That red haired witch caught me off guard! I'm ready this time!"

"With one arm that's on the verge of falling off? Guess Mars knocked you around harder than I thought."

"...I'm gonna punch you now…" He muttered.

"By all means go right ahead."

"Do what you have to do kid. I'll keep the foot soldiers busy." The woman smirked.

"Alright." He nodded.

Lucas ran at her and cocked his right arm back. When he got in close, he tried to throw a wild swing. Jupiter grinned and side stepped out of the way causing him to fall face first onto the floor.

He turned and sent out a small blast of fire from his right hand. The flames missed and that left the purple haired woman laughing.

"Some hero you are. I honestly don't know how you've even be registered as a threat. You have no hand to hand combat skill. You can't even use your powers right!"

She lifted him up by the back of his collar. He watched as his grandfather's hat fell to the floor with a look of horror.

"PUT ME DOWN!" He shouted.

She kneed him in his stomach before dropping him to the floor next to his discarded hat.

He slowly reached out for it with his damaged arm only for the woman to pick it up in front of him.

"No...This isn't right...You weren't supposed to be this weak in comparison. I expected you to put up more of a fight. We trained so hard just for you to be nothing more than a sniveling little brat."

"G...Give that back!" He demanded.

She looked at the hat and glared. "This old thing? Why even wear something like this? Nobody wears this kind of hat in Sinnoh anymore."

"I don't care...Just...Give it back!"

She flung it away and kicked him across the face as if he were nothing but trash. "You are so disappointing. Lord Cyrus was wrong about you. You're not a threat to anyone the way you are."

Her words hit Lucas hard as he stared at the slightly dusty hat across the floor from him. Not only did he have to deal with the physical pain, but the seemingly endless blows to his self pride sunk deep and he hated it. He wanted to just get up and demolish them all but nothing would let him. He couldn't do it.

"Get away from him!" The gym leader shouted.

"Oh please! You're outnumbered and outclassed in every way. Your grass types aren't any sort of match to my poison type. You've lost!" Jupiter shouted.

"Grotle, I need you to hit them with everything you've got!"

 _"Guess that means it's time for the Solar Beam."_ The Grotle looked at Turtwig with a serious expression. _"I need time to charge it. Can you keep me covered, runt?"_

 _"I'm on it!_

Sparks and Buizel continued to take down another onslaught of Zubat and Bronzor. The issue came with their growing fatigue. Sparks had been fighting since they were in the forest with barely any down time. Buizel wasn't used to fighting off multiple opponents either.

"Skuntank, if you would kindly dispose of them while I finish this child. Might as well take him for Cyrus."

Lucas had crawled over to the red hat and held it tightly. "Please...Give me strength…"

"What are you going on about now?"

"I...I won't quit! I'm not done yet!" He yelled with his hat back on.

"This is just embarrassing now." She swung her leg at him to which he responded with a block. He then followed up with a punch to her stomach. She staggered back and held herself. She slapped a hand over her mouth and resisted the urge to regurgitate. "What the hell?! What was…"

"I may not know how to fight really well but I still pack a punch!"

She slowly got back up and wiped the spit from her lips. "One lucky punch isn't enough to put me down kid."

He stood there with his eyes fixated on his target. He opened his mouth and puffed up his chest. When he felt the heat rise, he blew forth a stream of bright orange flames that the woman easily rolled away from. She stepped in close and whacked him twice with a double jab. With amazing speed, she spun her sharp heel right across his jaw.

His head bounce against the hard floor leaving a wide crack in the tiles. His vision was distorted and dizziness had worked its way into his head. He rocked around and tried to throw a somewhat decent punch. Jupiter smacked his hand down and shoved her palm deep into his face.

He staggered back and hit the wall behind him. He wiped his nose and looked at the blood on his hand.

"I just don't get it. All these years of thinking that I was untouchable and for what?! I can use Pokemon moves but still manage to get beat up!" He closed his eyes and grit his teeth with anger. "It's just like that woman said…"

 **"You can have all the typings you want, but it won't matter if you still can't handle a little fist fight."**

"I need to learn how to fight. I need someone to teach me how. My powers clearly aren't enough to give me the edge in combat if I can't use them right." He muttered to himself.

"What?! Are you giving up yet?"

Lucas gave her a hardened stare before shaking his head. "No matter how much I get beat up, I won't bow down to people like you!"

"Very well…"

Across the room, Sparks and Buizel were finally starting to make progress with the waves of enemies. They had started working as a team. Buizel would gain their attention while Sparks would zap those that were distracted.

Buizel wiped the sweat from his face. _"We're actually doing it! There's only three of them left! Just a Zubat and two Bronzor to take down! Wow! Teamwork really does make the dream-"_

 _"Don't stop now you idiot! They're coming this way!"_ Sparks shouted.

Buizel turned back to the three approaching enemies and hit them each with a Water Gun. _"What happened?! You guys were supposed to be outnumbering us. There's only three of you left now!"_

 _"The orange one is annoying me to no end! Kill him!"_ The Zubat ordered.

They all closed in on Buizel. The water type dodged the attack from the Zubat and dove past the two Gyro Balls. _"Your turn Sparks!"_

 _"Already on it!"_ He hit the Zubat with a quick Thundershock that knocked it out. He then stood before the two Bronzor and flashed his teeth. _"You two are next!"_

Back in the center of the room, Turtwig was struggling to hold his own against the Skuntank. He kept throwing out Razor Leaf but it was becoming far too predictable now. He needed another plan but he was running low on both stamina and ideas.

The Skuntank charged forward and slashed Turtwig away. The small grass type picked himself up against his better judgment.

 _"That was nothing! I can...I can take everything you throw at me no problem."_ He bluffed.

The Skuntank shook his head. _"What good will you even do now? Your best attack won't work anymore and you've tired yourself out. You're about as useless as your trainer over there."_

Turtwig looked at his trainer who was writhing in pain. He charged forward and slammed his head into his opponent with a vicious Tackle.

His head spun as he tried to regain his composure. _"What'd you think of that?! One of my signature moves!"_

 _"That attack was pointless. Just like you!"_ He smacked Turtwig into the wall with a swipe of his tail.

 _"...Okay, I think I'm done…"_ He groaned.

The gym leader looked on with visible concern. The kid was in bad shape and she was still dealing with the grunts.

"Grotle, how much longer do you need?!" She asked.

The bulky grass type closed his eyes and let the little bit of sunlight from the widows flow through his leaves.

He turned and focused his attention on Turtwig who was getting tossed around.

 _"It won't be at full power but it should still hurt."_ He said to himself. _"HEY RUNT! GET OUTTA THE WAY!"_

Turtwig nodded and ran behind him with every bit of stamina he had left.

 _"Your bushes. They're all bright now!"_

 _"They do that…"_ He focused on the Skuntank and fired off a beam of bright sunlight from his mouth. The beam hit the Skuntank head on and sent him to his knees.

 _"You got him!"_ Turtwig cheered.

 _"True...However, that wasn't enough to keep him down."_

 _"Wait what?! But isn't that you're best attack?!"_

Grotle sighed. _"Under the right conditions yes. Unfortunately, my only source of sunlight was from a small window. On top of that, he's a poison type making that move all the more less effective."_

 _"Oh...Crap!"_

 _"If only Gardenia brought Roserade, this fight would be much more in our favor."_

Turtwig looked at him with wonder. _"Roserade? Who's that?"_

 _"She's Gardenias strongest Pokemon at the moment. She's also her most trusted. She's much more tactical in a battle than I am. I train everyday just to even hope to be as strong as she is."_

 _"She's that tough?! Oh man…"_ Turtwig thought for a moment. _"Why didn't your trainer bring her than?"_

 _"We underestimated this Team Galactic. We had no idea that they'd be this big of a challenge for us."_

 _"Yeah, I hear you on that. My group had a run in with them before. It didn't end too well for any of us."_

 _"Sorry to hear that…"_ He said.

Sparks walked over with a twitching Zubat dangling from his mouth. Buizel follow behind exhausted from their battle.

 _"The heck are you doing?!"_ Buizel asked with annoyance.

 _"I'm having a conversation. Duh!"_

Sparks dropped his afternoon snack and gave both grass types a dirty look. _"You're both morons! You're busy talking while our trainers are fighting for their lives!"_

They all looked over to see Lucas on the floor unconscious and Gardenia getting restrained.

 _"Well Grotle used the last bit of his stamina on the Skuntank."_

 _"Useless grass types. C'mon Buizel! We will finish him off and then go save Lucas!"_

 ** _~BAM~_**

 _"The heck was that?!"_ Buizel yelled.

"Monferno, use Flame Wheel!"

They all stopped what they were doing and saw a rolling burst of fire whoosh past them and slam into the Skuntank, knocking it out.

 _"What is that kid doing here?!"_ Grotle asked.

 _"Who the heck is that?"_ Buizel asked.

 _"No...NO! NO! NOOOO!!!"_ Turtwig shouted.

Buizel and Sparks stared at each other with unknowing glances.

 _"So...You wanna ask or should I?"_ The water type spoke.

 _"I don't even care anymore."_

The flaming chimp stopped and scanned the room. Seconds later, a group of people filled the scene.

"What the hell is going on now?!" Jupiter asked angrily.

"Eterna City Police! You're under arrest!" The officer in the front yelled with his gun drawn.

Sparks noticed the blonde with the striped shirt and green scarf. He was glaring at the purple haired woman that stood next to the downed Lucas.

"Darn! I got here too late! Monferno, take out those grunts with Mach Punch!"

He nodded and flashed his trainer a thumbs up. In seconds, he dropped each of them in quick succession with swift and well placed jabs. When he finished, he reappeared next to his trainer and folded his arms.

 _"Too easy!"_ He grinned.

Turtwig looked on with horror. _"But...But...THAT'S NOT FAIR! HE CHEATED! HE DID!"_ He shouted.

 _"What is your problem?"_ Sparks asked.

Turtwig looked back and glared at the Monferno. _"How?! How'd you get so strong? How did you evolve so quickly?! HOW?!"_

Monferno smirked. _"Nice to see you again too dude! I'm surprised that you still haven't evolved yet. It was easy for me."_

 _"THAT DIDN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION!!!"_

"Commander Jupiter, you're coming with us!" The officer said as he and the other stepped closer.

The woman gave them and evil smirk as she recalled her Pokemon. "Hmm...No I don't think I will!" She dropped a canister and kicked it over towards the cops. When it went off, a bright flash went off and temporarily blinded everyone in the room. When they regained their sight, the woman was nowhere to be found.

"Where did she run off?!" Barry asked as he looked around the room.

"I want five of you to arrest the remaining grunts. The rest of you move out and search the perimeter for that woman!!" Looker said firmly.

The police swarmed out of the building and started their search for her leaving Barry, Gardenia, Looker, the unconscious Lucas and the confused Pokemon.

Lucas' team ran over to check on him. Sparks glared and tried to nudge him awake.

 _"He's hurt real bad...Even more than what happened last time…"_ Sparks felt his blood boiling. It was official. He hated Team Galactic now. He had his own personal vendetta against them and he was very much willing to seek revenge.

"Ahem! Ms.Gardenia may I have a word?" Looker spoke.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure." She said.

They started to walk off but Looker stopped for a moment and gave Barry a light smile. "Thank you for your help young man. If it weren't for you, who knows what would've happened. Your friend is very lucky to have you there for him."

"He's right Barry! You're a strong trainer and you've once again managed to impress me. Keep it up."

Barry looked down at Lucas. He glared and clenched his fists. Thoughts swirled around in his mind. He exhaled and shook his head.

"Yeah...I will…" He said before lifting Lucas up and carrying him out of the building and the the Pokemon Center.


	10. Reevaluation

The cool Sinnoh air brushed up against the many trees surrounding Eterna City. The rattling of the leaves creating a soothing sound made the feeling of relief all the more prevalent in the town. Team Galactic was no more and it left the residents of Eterna feeling more delighted than ever to resume their at one point peaceful lives. This however would not apply to everyone that was present in the city.

At the pokemon center of Eterna City was a boy that was disheartened by his recent revelations. He had lost not only his confidence, but his will to do much of anything anymore.

Lucas was sitting on his hospital bed with a broken look of defeat on his face. In his hand was the singular gym badge that he had previously won in Oreburgh City. The sight of it only made him even more upset. He was humiliated and was shown up by somebody that he looked down on. Someone that he saw as a bumbling child. Something that he considered himself naturally higher. It turned out tathat he couldn't be further from the truth.

Lucas had been beaten senseless and his team in comparison wasn't nearly as strong as it should have been. He was at a loss. He had hit a roadblock in his early journey as he felt true fear. He was afraid of the real world now. Afraid of the possibility of death. He could have been killed twice now by a single person. It hit him hard and now, he was just wishing that he could go back to the old days. Even with his seemingly careless father he would've still been better off than he is now.

Scattered around was the team that he not only cared about but came to see as his family. He felt as though he had failed them. He let them all down. He didn't save the day and he wasn't there for them. He was too busy being knocked out. He hated himself for being so weak even with these powers that he never asked for. He just wanted to give them all back and never see them ever again.

"..." The room was dead silent. Sparks holding in his hidden fury, Buizel feeling a sense of worthlessness and Turtwig wallowing in his own self pity. He was dissatisfied with himself. Seeing the evolved fire type swoop in and show off his blatant strength crushed his usually high spirits. Even more so than the Windworks incident. He, much like his trainer was broken.

The door to the hospital room opened and in came Gardenia. She stood before him with a saddened yet firm look on her face.

"I just walked your buddy outside of the center. He told me to tell you that he's heading off to Hearthome City. He also wanted me to tell you that you should be more careful. I'm gonna be brutally honest here kid. Your friend has a point."

Her words made everyone in the room turn to her. "...What do you mean?" Lucas asked with little emotion.

"The world is a big place. People like Team Galactic are everywhere. There's always the hint of a threat lurking. In short, what I'm tryna say is that you aren't ready to go on a journey yet. Not on your own."

Her words hit Lucas like a hot slap to the face. It only furthered the rate of which his pride was dissolving.

Sparks didn't like her not one bit. He stood up from the foot of the bed and growled. _"She doesn't even know what she's talking about! I think you can do it Lucas!"_

Lucas scratched the top of the electric type's head. "...No Sparks...She's right. I'm not ready. I'm a bad fighter and a pitiful trainer. Maybe I should just go back home…"

 _"Don't talk like that! What about Luther?! What would he say?"_

"He would tell me that he made a mistake and that I should've never went on this stupid journey in the first place! Face it Sparks...I'm better off being a lab rat for my scumbag dad."

The gym leader sighed. "Why don't you just head on home and think about what you really wanna do. You don't have to be a trainer you know."

"I know that all too well…" He muttered with tears falling down his face. He had never felt so discouraged in his life. It hurt but it was the truth in his eyes.

 _"You can't just give up yet! You gotta get stronger along with us! Please Lucas! I'm begging you!"_

The boy stepped off of the medical bed and grabbed his things. His well wrapped arm making it slightly difficult.

"I wish you good luck kid. Take it easy, okay…"

"That'd be nice if that were the case but knowing my dad I really don't see that happening." Lucas huffed as he desperately tried to dry his eyes. He walked out of the room with his "team" following slowly behind him.

He walked around Eterna City aimlessly trying to cope with his constant struggles. Wracking his brain for any sort of hope that he had in himself. All of it was no use. He just couldn't do it. He was so lost within his doubt that he didn't see any alternatives. He lost faith in his own grandfather's words. This adventure didn't help him not one bit.

He looked at the many different pokemon that the kids of the city were playing with. Their carefree spirits and cheerful attitudes made him feel even more sorrowful.

He stopped somewhere in the middle of the town and stared at an ancient statue of an odd looking pokemon. For some odd reason, it felt as though it had called him there. He looked into the eyes of the magnificent beast with wonder. His eyes then drifted to the eligible writing that was engraved in the large statue. He placed his hand on it only to feel a light shock. He yanked his hand away and glared and the now glowing eyes that the statue possessed. As quickly as they appeared, they vanished.

"...What the heck is this thing?"

"LUCAS!"

He stopped his meddling with the statue and turn towards the voice of Dawn. She ran over to him with a bright smile on her face.

"Hey Dawn…" He muttered before looking away.

"It's good to see you! I can't say I expected you to still be here though." Dawn paused and looked his injuries. "Wait, what happened to you?! Your arm and all of those bandages…"

"I know. I've been through a lot these past couple of days. Please, don't worry about me. I'll only slow you down."

This caught her by surprise. "What do you mean? What's been happening to you since we split up?!"

"I was...Nothing…It won't matter now because I'm going home anyway."

"Why would you wanna do that? You're on a journey! You should be having fun!"

He shook his head. "Well I'm not! I'm a lousy trainer, a terrible fighter and I just cause more trouble. I can't do this anymore! The skill gap between Barry and I grows more and more everyday! He's on his way to beating his third badge while I don't even have two. I always down played him but it turns out, he's a way better trainer than I am. He even saved my life! I can't catch up to him no matter how hard I try! Im pathetic Dawn!"

Dawn couldn't believe what he was saying. She always felt like they were both equals. She admired them both for years. That incincluded Lucas even after he stopped hanging out with them. "Before you go...I really think you should read this letter first." She said with a hopeful smile.

"What is it?" He saw that the address was from his own home. He opened it and started to read through it.

 _Dear Lucas,_

 _I got your letter and I'm just so glad to hear from you. It wasn't easy for me write this but Professor Rowan was kind enough to help me out with it._

 _I hope you're doing well for yourself. I don't really know what a journey entails but I hope that you're at least enjoying your time out there. I hope I can meet your team someday. Maybe after you become the champion of Sinnoh or something, I dunno. Either way, I bet they're real tough just like you are._

 _I know I sound all mushy and junk but that's just because deep down, I really miss you. I'd never say it to your face or anything but I honestly do want the best for my big brother. You've had it so hard and all I could do was sit and watch you change into this cold and depressing person. That's not you Lucas. You have a heart. It's just buried underneath all of that grief. Our dad doesn't make it any easier on you either. I'm really sorry that you're so sad all the time but I know that this journey will change you into the happy guy that grandpa wanted you to be._

 _I saw the news with dad I'm just so glad that you found Sparks again. Tell him I said "HI" by the way!_

 _All things aside. Please just be careful out there big brother. Things are pretty quiet and boring down here without you. I did make some new friends at school though so I'm not a total loner. I hope you meet new people too and keep me posted! If you forget about me, I'll drown you by the beach! Take care!_

 _Liz_

The note trembled in his hands. He dropped down to his knees and broke down in front of a confused Dawn.

"What's wrong? Did something bad happen?!" She asked as she kneeld down and patted his back.

"Y...Yeah...I just realized that I'm a complete idiot!" He stood up and put the letter in his bag.

"So is everything alright?"

He hugged her tightly and laughed. "You bet! Figures that my little sister would have to talk sense into me." He let the flustered girl go and turned to his team. "Guys! It's time to kick things into high gear!"

 _"What do you mean?"_ Buizel asked.

"It's time for some training!"

 _"...You really mean it?"_ Turtwig grumbled with uncertainty.

This made Lucas frown. "Look guys. I know that I failed as a trainer. I'm weak and until I'm all healed up, I won't be able to really push myself, but you all still can! We're going to grow as a team from now on. No favoritism, no special treatment and no easy way outs. Just hard work!"

Buizel groaned. _"But that sounds like a lot of work!"_

Turtwig's mood rose tremendously. _"That's what I've been waiting to here!"_

" _I can agree! Next time we see Galactic, I'll wipe them all out with a single blow!"_ Sparks smirked.

Lucas grinned at them. This was HIS team. This was HIS family. They were stuck together and they would have to embrace that no matter what.

"We are gonna work at our own pace from now on. I don't care how long it takes! We will get stronger!"

 _"What about catching up to Barry? Aren't you afraid that he's gonna get to far ahead?"_ Turtwig asked.

"No. I couldn't care less about how many badges he has or how far he travels. I'm done trying to chase him! We don't need to try to catch up to him anymore! If we wanna do better then we have to do things our own way!"

This got the trio to all smile and in turn, tackle their trainer to the ground with all of them laughing together.

Dawn stood there watching them with a sense of admiration for the group. Lucas himself was a so intriguing to her. One minute he's hit rock bottom and the next, he's happier and more determined than she's ever seen him. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of his three pokemon wrestling with him. Seeing him acting like a kid again made her happy.

"Lucas…" She muttered.

He picked himself up straightened his red hat. "Let's make some moves!" He was about to run off then realized that Dawn was still standing there. "Oh, I almost forgot you were still here."

"Yeah...So what are you gonna do now?" She asked.

"Well first things first. I'm gonna go back into Eterna forest and train up my team. Then, I'm gonna go show that gym leader that we mean business!"

She nodded. "Right...Makes sense…"

"Uh...Well, you know you can tag along if you want to right?" He said nervously.

"I don't wanna get in the way. Especially if you're trying to get stronger."

"Nonsense! Now c'mon! We might as well catch up anyways." He grinned and started running off towards the forest with Dawn and his team right behind him.

It wouldn't be long before the group got right down to it. Lucas' orders were clear. Spread out and take down as many opponents as you can within ten minutes then meet back at the campsite were him and Dawn would be waiting. Whoever got the most KO's or in Sparks' case, fatalities, they'd earn themselves a quick snack.

Buizel was the first to take off running with Sparks and Turtwig lagging behind.

 _"I'm gonna win that snack! I WILL!!!"_ Buizel shouted into the evening sky as he hit speeds faster than even Sparks.

Sparks and Turtwig took the opposite direction, arguing as they ran forward.

 _"Can you even keep up first form?"_ Sparks taunted.

 _"Talk all you want now! You won't be saying much when I cream you in this competition and evolve right in front of your face!"_

 _"Whatever Lil' Green!"_ Sparks snickered before turning off the pathway and attacking a swarm of Beedrill.

Turtwig hissed to himself. _2_

Back at the makeshift camp, Lucas was focusing one a set of one armed push ups while Dawn was feeding her Piplup.

"...666...667...668…" He counted off as he pushed back up.

"Are you sure they'll be okay in there? It'll be dark out soon and they might get lost or hurt."

"...672...They'll be fine. I trust them. They got this...673...674…"

"If you say so."

After the brief ten minutes, the trio had in fact made it back. Sparks had an odd amount of green liquid staining the fur around his mouth and claws.

 _"Easy prey…"_ He muttered.

 _"As if! I hadn't even broke a sweat!"_ Turtwig boasted.

Buizel gave a blank stare. _"Snack. Now! Give it to me!"_

"Alright who got what? No lying either! I can tell…"

 _"An easy thirty seven kills...I mean KO's! Yeah...KO's…"_ Sparks said suspiciously.

 _"DARN!"_ Turtwig yelled.

"What'd you get Turtwig?"

He sighed. _"Thirty six…"_

 _"YES! VICTORY IS MINE!!!"_ Buizel shouted with glee.

"Uh, okay...How many did you-"

 _"Eight…"_

"...Um, Buizel eight isn't bigger than either of-"

 _"Hundred…"_ He finished.

"Eight hundred?!?!"

 _"HE LIES! HE LIES!!!"_ Turtwig shouted with disbelief.

 _"Go and check the bodies then…"_ Buizel said as he folded his arms.

"N...No I think I'm good. Well, I guess Buizel wins the snack." Lucas tossed him something that Dawn had made herself. It was an odd treat call a poffin. Apparently they were pretty good because Buizel devoured it in less than a second.

 _"Guess you're at the bottom of the ladder grass type."_

 _"Shut up you half baked, discount generator!"_

"They really don't like each other." Dawn said.

"Yep…"

"Why don't they battle each other? You know, get the aggression out of their system."

"Trust me they'll still hate each other's guts but that isn't too bad of an idea for a good workout. Nice thinking Dawn!"

"It's nothing! Don't mention it!" She dismissed.

"Hey! Easy you guys. Why don't you have a little practice battle?" Lucas suggested.

"A chance to shut this fleabag up?! Don't mind if I do!"

"You're too much of a weakling to do something like that! Let alone to me!"

"Whatever! I'm not afraid of you Sparks!" Turtwig glared.

"Hey, you live and you learn...Or you die! Simple as that Little Green!" Sparks glared back.

"Hey! Not here! You're both too close to the camp. You guys wanna fight? Go out a little bit."

"FINE!" They both shouted.

They ran off with the enthusiasm for battle that had built up since the day they met.

Lucas sat on the log with Dawn a lit up the pile of sticks with fire from his fingertip. He looked at the girl next to him and grinned.

"So you ever figure out what you wanted to do? Like really wanted to do."

She put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment. "I'm really not sure yet. I talked to my mom and she kind of talked to me about how she got into contests. It was so inspiring how she got into it. She used to be so timid but then one day she just broke out of her shell and went for it."

"So is that what you're leaning more towards?"

"Well...Yes and no…"

"Care to explain?" Lucas asked.

"Everyone sees my mom and talks about how great she was. One of the best at what she did. She's also invited to talk show and interviews. They even ask her to judge at the Grand Festival. She's so popular around the world."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

Dawn shrugged her shoulders. She clenched the red scarf around her neck and let out a breath. "Any time people see me, I'm only known as Johanna's daughter or the next top coordinator. While it does seem nice to follow in mom's footsteps I just can't help but feel like I could do more, you know?"

"More than you think. It's like every time I even think about using my powers I'm always either supposed to be this brave strong hero or I'm just this little weird freak...or at least that's what I tell myself…"

"It's like maybe if I tried, I could be more than just Johanna's prodigy." Dawn tightened her grip.

"You already are. You're Dawn. You'll always be Dawn. I honestly don't know anything about your mom so whenever you say you're Johanna's daughter, I honestly don't know what the heck that even means."

She couldn't help but feel elated by with meaning of his words. She felt moved by them and was somewhat appreciative by how easily he said them.

"Thank you Lucas."

He raised a brow at her. "For what?"

"..." She hid the lower half of her face with the scarf and shook her head.

"...Okay…"

Lucas looked at Buizel who had fallen asleep right next to him. He rubbed his back softly and looked back in the direction of Sparks and Turtwig. A loud and thunderous boom could be heard from the distance.

"They're really doing this."

Lucas sighed. "This is the way they deal with there problems I guess. By beating the crap out of each other."

Over in the denser areas of the forest, Sparks and Turtwig were both going to town on one another. Both showing signs of the ruthless battle being waged between them.

 _"THAT ALL YOU GOT FURBALL?!"_

 _"I'll rip you in half!"_

Sparks lunged forward and attempted to give Turtwig a good bite. Turtwig ducked underneath the attack and bashed him into a tree.

Sparks let out a loud roar that scared any bug types still somehow in the area. Electrical currents surged throughout his dark fur.

 _"Go ahead! Shoot that dumb electricity at me! I can take it!"_

 _"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"_ Sparks shot a fully charged Thundershock at Turtwig. The blast pushed him back but he ultimately held his ground.

 _"I'm not afraid of you Sparks!"_ A small glowing green orb formed from his mouth.

 _"NO YOU DON'T!!!"_ Surrounded with even more electricity, Sparks dashed forward with the intent to kill.

 _"I won't ever be afraid!"_ The orb grew to about half of Turtwig's sized. _"NOT ANYMORE!!!"_

 _"TURTWIG!!!"_

 _"If I don't evolve than so be it! I'll be strong without it! I don't need a new form to be the best! YOU HEAR ME SPARKS?!?"_ Turtwig didn't know what his new attack was but he didn't care. He fired it off directly at Sparks who was at point blank range.

The explosion from both attacks shook the entire forest. Smoke had surrounded the entire area. A few trees had been turned into burnt splinters. Rocks were reduced to scorched pebbles. In the center of it all was a crater and when the smoke cleared, it was Sparks who stood with a clawed paw holding Turtwig's head into the dirt below.

 _"You lose! Thanks for playing!"_ Sparks panted heavily.

 _"Y...you better watch out...house cat...I almost had you…"_

 _"Don't even flatter yourself like that! It makes you look weaker than you already are!"_

 _"Whether...you wanna...admit it or not...I'm catching up to you…"_

 _"Arrogant grass type. Don't ever put yourself on my level."_ Sparks growled as he lifted Turtwig up onto his back.

 _"I...I'll make you...see for yourself...once I perfect...my new...technique…"_ Turtwig ended up passing out on Sparks' back, causing his to groan.

 _"Tch...Yeah...You were…Close...For now at least..."_

When Sparks got back to the camp, Lucas quickly ran over to him and the fainted Turtwig.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

 _"Exactly what it looks like. I won."_ Sparks said plainly.

"...And I forgot to stock up on items. Geez guys come on! I said a practice battle. Not a freaking deathmatch!"

Lucas put Turtwig in his ball and looked at Sparks who narrowed his eyes back at his trainer.

 _"No! I'll be fine."_

"You're injured! Now get in the ball Sparks!"

Sparks got into an aggressive stance and snarled. _"No!"_

 _"Don't get all animalistic on me! Get. In. The. Ball!"_

 _"Fine!"_ Sparks tapped his nose against the button and was warped inside.

Lucas sat back down next to Dawn. "They drive me crazy but I still love these guys."

"I can tell. You care alot about them."

"I do. I just wish they didn't have to see me getting hurt all the time." He said underneath his breath.

"Are you ever gonna tell me how that happened?"

"How what happened?"

She folded her arms and scowled at him. "How you managed to get hurt so badly!"

He looked at his many bandages and sighed. "Team Galactic…"

"What?! They did that to you?!"

"Yeah...Heh, I got my butt handed to me twice by their commanders. They were right about one thing though. I really don't know how to fight."

"Aren't you like, super strong and stuff?"

"Tch...Powers or not, I'm still not a match for someone with more skill than me. That's just one of the mane truths that I have to face. I need someone to teach me."

"Hmm...Well I think there's someone that can help you." Dawn said, slightly unsure.

"REALLY?! Why didn't you say so earlier?! Who is it? Where can I meet them?"

"Calm down Lucas. I'm not one hundred percent sure about it yet but if you really wanna learn than your best bet might be in Veilstone City."

Lucas winced. "Veilstone?! Isn't that the most dangerous city in Sinnoh? Why would I want to learn from one of the dirtbags that live in that dump?"

"The gym leader there isn't just a fighting type user. She actually trains for combat. She's really tough! You could really get good with her as your mentor."

"I dunno...Seems pretty sketchy to learn how to fight in a city of criminals. Then again, I'll need all the help I can get if I wanna give Galactic a nice beatdown!"

Dawn's eyes widened. "You're actually going after them?! Are you nuts? You can't fight them all alone!"

"...Maybe not...Why don't you give me a hand then?"

"Y...You want ME to help you fight? I'm no fighter Lucas. I couldn't…" She muttered.

"Well apparently neither am I. Why don't we just learn together? It'd be way more fun that way!"

"You really think that I could fight?" She asked.

"If those Galactic goons can do it then so can we!"

Dawn thought for a moment about what he had said before looking up and smiling. "Okay! If you think I can then I'll give it a try!"

"So it's settled. Our main goal is getting to Veilstone City!" He shouted.

 _"Quit yelling dude! Tryna sleep…"_ Buizel grumbled as he tossed and turned on the grassy floor below.

The two chuckled at the grouchy water type. Before laying down on the soft grass. Lucas thought back to his sister's letter and smiled up at the bright moon.

-In Sandgem Town-

The small girl stood on the beach looking right up at the moon. She spent most of her nights on the grainy sand just listening to the crashing tides. She couldn't help but think of her older brother. While she did miss him, she understood full well why he had to leave. He was suffering more than a kid should. He needed space from the lab. Space from their dad. Space from Sandgem. She always prayed for his safety and happiness. Even if she still wasn't entirely sure what she was praying to yet. That didn't matter though. Not now at least.

 ** _A/N:_ Next chapter will probably be the end of Eterna City. Hopefully can get it out by next week.** **Hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	11. Grass Whooping

~BAM~

"YO GYM LEADER! I'M HERE TO BEAT YOU AND TAKE MY BADGE!"

Turtwig stood on his right with a confident smirk. "Yeah! Tell it how it is Lucas!"

"This won't last long. Pitiful grass types stand no chance against me."

Turtwig narrowed his eyes at Sparks. "Shut up!"

"Make me…"

Buizel shook his head. "Really guys? When we're about to fight a gym leader…"

"He's right you two! Get your heads in the game! You all trained hard this past week. Don't let it be for nothing."

"As if it'd be for nothing! I can handle this fight on my own." Sparks huffed.

"Tch...YEAH WELL SO CAN I!"

"Don't kid yourself. You're still just some little first form. You'll probably end up turning into a fanboy mid fight."

"I don't need to evolve to beat you!"

Sparks sneered. "Last I checked I beat you in our sparring match last week. Thus proving that I'm stronger."

Lucas and Dawn continued to watch the bickering between the two escalate into outright shouts of rage.

"You should probably stop them before it get physical…" Dawn suggested.

"Yeah I know…" He stepped in between the two and picked them both up in his arms. "Look, I need you guys at one hundred percent! That means you need to focus! We don't have any type advantages right now so it's time to really buckle down and get serious! We only have one badge so the team that she uses shouldn't be as high leveled as you both are. We can win but only if you both really want to."

"Yes Lucas." Sparks nodded.

"Ugh! Fine! So long as he shuts up about his dumb second stage!"

"Jealousy will get you nowhere pint size."

Turtwig got in his face. "Of you?! Not a chance house cat!"

"WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU?!?!" Lucas shouted.

"Looks like I was right."

They all looked over at the gym leader. Lucas caught wind of her tone and grit his teeth.

"What are you talking about?"

She folded her arms. "What are you doing here kid? I said you weren't ready and yet here you are in MY gym shouting at your pokemon while they fight with each other. They clearly don't get along and you have yourself to blame for that."

"YOU SHUT UP LADY! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT US!"

"We'll wipe your sorry excuse for a team and show you why Lucas can be a great trainer!" Sparks hissed.

"Yeah! What they said…" Buizel muttered.

"I'm not backing down. My team believes in me so I know that I have what it takes!"

"I won't battle you little boy. Not until you're ready."

Lucas clenched his fists and shouted. "YOU WILL BATTLE ME!"

"I said no. Now get out of my gym or I'll make you myself."

Dawn wasn't sure on what to really do or say. She personally saw Lucas training up his team and they had in fact made a lot of progress. She herself believed that he had the potential to become a actual trainer. However, that didn't mean he and his team lacked any flaws. They were all very strong but at the same time, very dysfunctional. Buizel was very much passive and often opted out of doing any real hard work. He was mainly ever motivated by the presence of food. Turtwig was very much arrogant and easily goaded into pushing himself. All stem from his need for attention. Sparks was a simple case of pride and unhinged aggression. He was ruthless and violent. His pride would also make it so that he wouldn't ever listen to anyone that wasn't Lucas. It showed whenever they ran team based drills. He never listened to his comrades and took the lead any chance he got.

She could see the struggle that Lucas dealt with on a daily basis. That one week she spent with them really showed their group dynamic. It was difficult to see how Lucas would become a trainer with a team as unruly and uncoordinated as his current one, but deep down she knew he had it in him. He truly did care for each of them and he was making an effort.

The gym grew quiet. All of the other gym trainers and spectators looked on with anticipation.

Lucas gave a hate filled stare towards the disapproving woman. His team was equally upset. None more so than the electric type.

"Forget what she says! She'll fear our power soon enough!"

"I agree with the fleabag. Let's show her how we do things."

Lucas looked down at his team and nodded. "Hey Gardenia! How's about a proposition?"

"I'm listening…"

"We battle. If I win you have to give me my badge proving that I am an actual trainer."

She sighed. "Okay. What happens when you lose?"

"...I give up on being a trainer. I'll quit battling and head back home."

"All this for what? To prove a point?! I'm not giving you the badge kid!" She yelled.

"What's that problem? If I'm such a lousy trainer than you should have no reason to worry. This'll be my last battle." Lucas said back.

"I'm trying to help you little boy. Just go home."

He shook his head. "Not until you battle me."

She glared and pulled out two pokeballs. She tossed them up and sent out both her Roserade and her Grotle.

"Fine! Since you insist on being such a pest. Two of my best against two of your choosing. This'll be a double battle. That alright with you?"

"Of course it is!" He lied. He never had a double battle before and to top it all off, his team was NOT built for a two on two legitimate match.

"Double battle...That seems very annoying." Sparks said, unamused.

Lucas looked at his team of three. Water, grass and electric. Not a good matchup against a grass type specialist. Buizel wasn't a choice at all for this battle. He wouldn't do much of anything against her two. Sparks could hang in the but would really have to push himself and Turtwig was just a smaller version of her Grotle.

"Darn…" He muttered against his own wishes. He was starting to fell a bit discouraged at the circumstances before him.

"Well kid? What's it gonna be?"

"...Turtwig...Sparks...Let's show her what we're made of!"

"No problem." Sparks said.

"…" Turtwig stared at both grass types and shook a bit. He lost his confidence yet again.

"What's the deal?"

"N...Nothing!"

Lucas saw this and knew exactly what was wrong. He knelt down a placed a hand on Turtwig's back.

"Relax. Don't let them get to you. Remember your training and you'll be just fine. I got faith in you. Both of you! Get out there and win this."

"Okay. I can do this!"

Lucas stood back up and let his two pokemon move forward to the grassy arena.

Lucas felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and faced Dawn. "What's wrong?"

"Are you sure about this? Giving up being a trainer is a little extreme."

"...I know." He looked at his allies. Both seemed all ready to go. "They can win this if they try. I know they can."

"Well good luck out there. I'll be in the stands watching."

"Sounds good. I'll meet up with you when this is all over with."

They parted ways and Lucas got serious once again. Buizel stood by his side, nibbling on a soft pretzel.

"Where did you get that?!'

"I uh...Well you see...OH LOOK! THE BATTLE IS STARTING!"

The referee lifted his right hand. "This will be a two on two double battle between the Eterna City gym leader Gardenia and the challenger Lucas. Limited items are accessible but switching is strictly prohibited."

Gardenia flung her hand out. "Roserade! Grass Knot on the Luxio! Grotle! Sunny Day!"

Sparks' back leg was wrapped up by a tight, long blade of thick grass. He snarled as he tried to tug himself free.

"What is this?!"

A bright ray of sunlight shined brightly across the gym's arena. Turtwig gained his bearings and stared down both of his opponents.

"Turtwig! Hit them with Razor Leaf!"

He swung his head, launching a stream of sharp leaves at both Roserade and Grotle. Neither seemed too affected by the attack.

Grotle gave the Turtwig a dissatisfied look. "Just give up now before you get hurt little guy. I really don't wanna fight you."

"I can't do that! I'm...I'm Lucas' first pokemon! I have to prove to him and everyone else that I'm worthy of that title!"

Roserade snorted at his statement. "Honestly it's quite adorable to see such a little tough guy. He's just like how you were Grotle."

He groaned and got himself in position for his next attack. "Enough talk!" The bushes on his back glowed brightly.

"That looks familiar…"

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE GAWKING YOU IDIOT!" Sparks shouted.

"Grotle use Solar Beam!"

Turtwig saw the magnificent ray of sunlight shoot forward towards him. His eyes opened wide as it quickly approached.

"MOVE TURTWIG!" Lucas shouted.

"...Huh?!" He lunged out of the way and just barely avoided the blast. "Woah! That was too close!"

Sparks had finally managed to cut himself free from the grass on his leg and let out a roar of anger.

He stared at the Roserade with his wild eyes. His claws were fully brandished and the saliva dripped down from his sharp fangs.

"Tying me up will do you no good, grass type!"

She lifted a rose covered hand to her face and laughed. "Ah, so you have a temper. Do be careful. Scowling can really ruin the beauty of one's face."

"I only see beauty in the death of my enemies!"

"Then shall we dance?"

Sparks let loose a blast of electricity before Lucas could even say anything. The Roserade twirled around, avoiding the bolt of lightning.

"Easy Sparks! Calm down before you start going overboard."

"I can handle myself Lucas! Focus on Turtwig!" Sparks yelled as he was hit with a Poison Sting.

Lucas looked at his starter and saw him dodging blast after blast. He could see the growing exhaustion on his face.

"Turtwig, counter with an Energy Ball!"

"That Turtwig knows Energy Ball already?!" Gardenia asked.

Turtwig skidded to a halt and opened his mouth. A bright green sphere form and grew with each passing second.

Grotle fired off another Solar Beam and for it to be intercepted by the Energy Ball, causing a short ranged explosion in between them.

"Not bad...It took me evolving to get that attack down. You learned it as a mere Turtwig?!" Grotle asked.

"Y...Yeah...I still can't fire it at full power yet. The highest I can go is about thirty percent. Any highet and I start getting weaker."

"THIRTY PERCENT?!?! That was enough to cancel out my sun charged Solar Beam!"

"I know. Pretty cool right? I figured it out all last week."

Grotle stomped his front two legs on the ground and glared at the pre evolution of himself. "I will not be out done by a Turtwig! You shouldn't be able to have learned that move in only a simple week!"

Gardenia looked at her Grotle with worry. She had never seen him get so worked up. She could tell he was losing his cool.

"You'll be fine Grotle! Just stay focused! Don't worry about the simple things! Think about the battle!" She said.

"...Yes. I should be more level headed. Thank you Gardenia."

Turtwig noticed his sudden and brief tantrum and grinned. He had a plan and was ready to execute.

"Boy, it must really suck knowing that a small fry like me is even better than a big guy like you. How long did it take YOU to learn that move?"

Grotle's left eye twitched. "I know what you're doing runt. I won't succumb to rage."

"I bet you're jealous of everyone around you. I mean, you're only number two right?" Turtwig taunted.

"Be silent!" Grotle tried to ram Turtwig but the smaller pokemon was able to easily slip away.

Oh boohoo! I evolved but my trainer still doesn't care about me!"

"I SAID SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Grotle tried to attack him again but ended up missing for a second time.

"I'm Grotle and I'm a big fat chump that couldn't finish of a Skuntank!"

Grotle was starting to see red. "STOP IT! STOP RUNNING FROM ME!"

"What's the matter?! Evolution made you all big and slow?!" Turtwig laughed.

Grotle stood there with a dark look on his face. He was panting heavily and was failing to suppress his anger.

Lucas saw what was happening and understood it. Buizel too understood and only folded his arms.

"Lil' Green should stop mocking that guy. Who knows what'll happen if he completely snaps?"

"I trust his judgment. I just hope I don't regret it." Lucas looked back at Sparks and saw him stumbling around. "SPARKS!"

"You...Won't...defeat me!" He huffed.

"My, you're a stubborn one. Most pokemon would be poisoned right about now. You're still up and kicking."

"Stupid little drops of poison won't bring me down!"

"I can see that. I guess I'll have to try something new." She laughed again. Gardenia looked at her Roserade and nodded.

Sparks was shocked to see a puff of yellow spores surrounding him.

"What? What is this?!"

"Sorry dear, but you won't be moving so well now. That's my Stun Spore. Inflicts paralysis on whomever I use it on."

As her words indicated, Sparks was indeed struggling to move an inch. "Your kidding."

"Paralyzed! Darn it!" Lucas shouted.

"Now Sparks doesn't have his speed advantage." Buizel muttered.

Turtwig saw his partner stuck in place and ran over to help him. He was quickly blocked off by an enraged Grotle.

"Outta my way!"

"..." The Grotle trucked him away and charged up another Solar Beam. This one was avoided but that only opened Turtwig up for a heavy slam.

"Okay! I take back what I said!"

"Little too late runt!" He placed a foot on top of Turtwig and opened his mouth. A wide green ball formed and he aimed it at Turtwig.

With quick thinking, Turtwig shot forth a miniature Energy Ball at the still forming one in Grotle's mouth and caused it to detonate early.

"Grotle!" Gardenia shouted.

"Turtwig!" Lucas yelled.

Sparks and Roserade looked at their partners with concern as they flew back from each other.

"Tch...That reckless...moron!" Sparks grunted.

"That was quite a gamble. Very risky indeed."

Lucas looked for his starter only to find him grounded and badly injured. Grotle was far across from him in a similar state a good portion of his face had darkened with burn marks.

Sparks made an effort to go and check on his teammate. He pushed through the paralysis and stood before the damaged Turtwig.

"That was pretty freaking stupid."

Turtwig chuckled in between pained grunts. "Maybe...But it was still pretty awesome!"

"Can you stand?"

"Of course I can! I refuse to be knocked out before you are." Turtwig stood on slightly shaky legs. "I'm not out of the fight yet!"

"You're pretty banged up. It'd be wise if you let me finish this."

"Nice try ya big jerk! You're not taking anymore battles from me. Besides, you're not looking too hot either. You okay?"

Sparks huffed. "I'm not your concern right now. That bigger version of you is getting back up. You better prepare yourself. He looks pretty pissed off."

"That's the thing. He gets reckless when he's mad. I just gotta keep taunting him until he's all tired out. I'm WAY faster than he is."

The Luxio grew a smirk on his face. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you picked up on one of my tactics. Bait and evade."

Turtwig rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself furball. It's just a coincidence that I'm faster so I'm taking advantage of it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Whatever you say loser." They both looked at their respective opponents.

"Just hang in there. I'll back you up when I'm done with the big baby." Turtwig ran off and tackled Grotle leaving a glaring Sparks behind.

"I don't need your help you idiot."

Lucas grinned. "This is the closest I've seen those two working as equals. It's still not all the way there but it's a good start."

Buizel gave a bored looked."Pssh, I give them a day until they go back to killing each other."

"That paralysis is a problem. I wish I had a way to cure Sparks."

"...I think I can help."

Lucas raised a brow. "How so?"

"Easy. All he needs is one of these." Buizel held up a red berry and grinned.

"A Cheri berry? Where did you find one of those?"

"Duh! I got it in the forest! Now to make Sparks eat it." He reeled his flipper like arm back and flung the red berry over towards Sparks. "Hey Sparky! Chew on that!"

"...What the heck is this?"

"EAT IT! IT'LL CURE THE PARALYSIS!"

"...No!" Sparks snarled as he stomped on the berry.

A vein bulged from the side of Buizel's head. "WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!?!"

"I don't need your handouts. Stay out of this water type."

Lucas could see Buizel's face go red. "INCONSIDERATE JERK!"

From the battlefield, Sparks was visibly smirking at the challenge. He knew that he could win. He had learned a couple of new tricks while training in the forest. He already got a good grasp on the abilities of his opponents. He knew what he had to do.

"Is there something amusing that I should know about?" Roserade asked.

"Just imagining the look on your face when I really start to go all out."

"Such bolstering pride. The situation that you're in makes it all the more confusing to me. You know that you can't win in your condition. Just look at you."

Sparks stood up straight and eyed his target. "Don't be so sure." Electricity danced around his body, giving off a threatening appearance. "Don't worry. I won't kill you. I'll just hurt you really bad."

"Whatever you say."

"UNBELIEVABLE! I CAN'T BELIEVE HE CRUSHED MY BERRY LIKE THAT!"

"Relax Buizel. He's confident about this so we should be too."

Buizel scoffed. "Pssh! I still think he's a jerk!"

The boy adjusted his hat and gave a deep look towards his electric type. "What are you thinking about Sparks?"

"Roserade! Use Magical Leave!" Gardenia shouted.

She thrusted her two rose hands in front of her and shot off a stream of glowing leaves straight towards Sparks.

"Sparks evade and use Thunder Fang!"

His muscles contracted as his body fought with the paralysis. He pushed himself away from the leaves and ran towards the Roserade. Static spewed from his mouth as he got in close. Before he could go through with his attack, a burst of leaves hit him from behind.

"But how?! I avoided them!"

Roserade giggled at his frustration. "That was a trick I learned a while back. Those leaves are a little bit harder to dodge than most."

"Now I know. You won't hit me with that pitiful attack a second time."

She aimed the roses at him again. "Wanna bet?"

He charged the electricity in his mouth once more and dashed around her with half his normal speed. "I'll just keep moving then!"

The swarm of leaves made an attempt to hit him from behind. Their aggressive tracking made Sparks more cautious as they flew at him.

"You can't keep this up! You'll tire out eventually!"

"Just shut up and watch!"

His paws scraped against the ground as he came to a complete stop. A thunderous boom erupted when he pushed himself forward.

"W-what are you doing?!"

He jumped right above her only to land directly behind. "Giving you a taste of your own attack."

Gardenia's eyes widened as the large crowd of leave flew at her pokemon. "ROSERADE!"

"Well shoot…" The leaves rapidly slashed against her body. She dropped down to her knees, panting heavily.

Sparks stood before her and snarled. He let his fangs show with pride and dominance. "This is over."

"How are you still so fast?! I paralyzed you! You shouldn't even be able to move a muscle!" Roserade yelled.

"You don't get it. I have much more to fight for than you could ever know. I could never lose to an eccentric blow hard that battles for some snarky girl scout. My trainer believes in my power! You have no idea what we've been through together."

"What kind of training did you do to get so fast?!"

Sparks smirked. "I ran through all of the Eterna Forest with a large rock tied behind me. Lucas helped me build up my speed over the course of that week. As you can see it very much paid off. Your stun spore couldn't even keep me down."

"Hmph…If you think that this'll stop me from fighting then you're-"

~CRUNCH~

Sparks sank his electrified teeth into Roserade's arm and zapped her until she was unconscious, forcing her trainer to recall her.

"Weak…" He turned his head and saw Turtwig engaging in a power struggle with the enraged Grotle. Their skulls were pushed up against each other. Turtwig pushing roughly against Grotle but to no real effect.

"Turtwig! Get some space already! You've got help!" Lucas yelled.

Turtwig grunted with opposition. "N...No way! I will beat him...on my own!"

Sparks stood near Lucas and nodded with approval. "As he should. This is his fight. If he wants to do it alone then I have no need to interfere."

This caught Lucas and Buizel off guard. "Did you just believe in Turtwig?!"

Sparks looked away and hissed. "Of course not! I'm just saying that it's his fight!"

"I think it adorable." Buizel rubbed the top of Sparks' head which led to a sickening shock that dropped him yo the floor.

Back on the battlefield was Turtwig who was standing his ground against the larger foe before him.

"Y...You're not beating me…"

Grotle gave him a hostile look. "You talk a lot more than you should."

"...I'm not afraid of you. I know that I'll become stronger. I have too many rivals in my life to just fall short."

"You aren't even in your second form yet. You honestly think that you're going to win this match?"

The smaller grass type let out a chuckle. "Either way you're done for. My partner beat yours so even IF you win, you still have to fight against him and I'll be honest...He's stronger than I am."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yeah...He is...I hate to admit it but as of right now he's stronger. He's the main pokemon that I wanna surpass. Once I do that I'll be ready to rematch him. Only because his strength pushes me to better myself. Not that I'd tell him that to his face."

Grotle seemed to calm down a bit more. He looked at the little Turtwig and acknowledged him more so than before.

"You are a very strange grass type. A hot headed and arrogant Turtwig isn't common."

"I guess that my teammates are starting to rub off on me." A bright green aura surrounded him.

Gardenia clenched her fists. "This is ridiculous! Grotle hurry up and finish this! Use your Solar Beam!"

Grotle unleashed a massive wave of sunlight that collided with Turtwig head on.

"WHY DIDN'T HE DODGE?!" Sparks shouted with mild fear in his voice.

The gym rattled from the sheer power of the Solar Beam. All of the spectators looked on with excitement as they cheered for their gym leader.

Lucas closed his eyes before letting out a loud yell. "TURTWIG!"

The middle of the arena was practically destroyed. The surrounding grass had been burnt to a crisp and all that could be seen was Gardenia's tired out pokemon.

"This match is over little boy. Your group put up a good fight but in the end, it didn't even matter.

"...No! I still have one pokemon left! Sparks it's time."

He gave a hate filled stare towards the gym leader and her grass type. "I'll destroy them in an instant!"

"Right. Sparks use-"

"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Shouted an odd yet somewhat familiar voice. A bright green glow was present in the arena.

"That's not right! You were hit!"

When the smoke cleared, everyone could fully see the being that was once Turtwig standing with a determined look in his eyes.

"Turtwig?!" Buizel said, waking up from his unconscious state.

"Not anymore." Everyone watched as he formed a large Energy Ball in his mouth. He aimed it at his weakened opponent and fired it off. As it collided with his target, it forced Gardenia's final pokemon into the wall behind her.

"Grotle!" The gym leader cried. She returned him and sighed. "You did a good job…"

The referee stood there with his jaw hung low. "The...The winner is Lucas and his team."

"What just happened?!" Lucas shouted.

Lucas' grass type looked back at him with an intense expression. "I have ascended. You're not dealing with the average Turtwig any more. For I have evolved into what you all fear most. I AM A SUPER TURTWIG!!!"

"Knock it off grass type!" Sparks snarled.

Lucas kneeled down and patted his now evolved pokemon. "Guess I can't call you Lil' Green anymore, huh? You're a Grotle now!"

"Sure am." His Grotle smirked at Sparks. "Looks like I'm bigger than you now housecat."

"Tch...Size means little in real combat!"

"So are we calling him Grotle now?" Buizel asked.

"Not too sure yet. We'll worry about that later for now, I'd say we've earned ourselves a gym badge."

Gardenia glared at him and thrusted the badge in his hands. "Take your badge and get out!"

"Why are you so butthurt?! I challenged you and proved that I can be a good trainer!"

"You're a far cry away from being a good trainer kid. I still don't think that you have what it takes!"

"Guess I'll just have to keep on going until I show you that I'm serious!" Lucas said.

"We'll see…"

The gang walked out of the gym and waited outside for Dawn. She met up with them with a genuine smile gracing her lips.

"Nice job out there you guys!"

"The human girl noticed my strength. Not unexpected in the slightest."

"Get over yourself. I think that she was too busy staring at our love sick trainer." Turtwig snickered.

Lucas heard this and lightly kicked him. "Thanks for being there. I'm sure you helped motivate them."

"Not as much as she motivates you."

This time Lucas outright buried his foot into his Grotle. "So uh...Where you headed too?"

She thought for a moment before shrugging. "My mom said she was going to Hearthome City to judge in a contest so I guess it wouldn't hurt to go there next. It's also on the way to Veilstone City."

"Hearthome...Does that place have a gym?"

"They do. The leader is Fantina. I think she specializes in ghost types."

"Ghost types. That'll be a new one."

"I heard she was pretty tough. You might wanna start planning for this one."

"I guess so. Might as well start with healing up my team."


	12. Patience and Time

**-In Hearthome City-**

"What?! Closed?! No way! Well can you at least tell me when it opens back up again?"

"Sorry kid but that could be a while. Ms. Fantina is a very busy woman what with being a gym leader AND a coordinator. She's got responsibilities in both regards. She may be out for weeks given the upcoming competition." The large man with shades said.

The blonde scratched his head and sighed. "Weeks huh? That bites. What am I supposed to do now? I can't just wait here for weeks."

"You're in Hearthome kid. Enjoy the sights and all the restaurants. It's a lovely place."

"Right...Well thanks anyway."

The man waved. "See you around kid."

The blonde stuffed his hands in his pockets and sulked as he walked down the calm streets of Hearthome. He made it to the Pokemon Center and booted up the computer. He made a video call to the one in Eterna City and waited. The Nurse Joy there picked up the call and asked who he was looking for.

"Hi nurse. Is there anyone named Dawn in there? Navy blue hair, into short skirts…"

"Why yes she is. I'll go retrieve her." The nurse said.

"Thanks." He nodded.

He waited there for about a minute, tapping on his cheek with an impatient stare.

"Hello?"

He lifted his head and stared at the girl on the screen. His heart beat faster and he felt a lump in his throat.

"Hey…" He muttered.

"Barry! Wow is so good to see you again. Where are you?"

"I just got to Hearthome City. Got my second badge and everything! Wasn't too hard with Monferno by my side." He said with a small grin.

His partner climbed onto his left shoulder and waved at the screen. Dawn waved back with a kindhearted smile.

"Your Chimchar evolved! That's amazing!"

Barry nodded. "He's a real hard worker! We've been training so much that I figured it was time for us to relax."

"No kidding. You really should slow it down a bit. You're rushing through the entire region."

He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah yeah…" He patted the top of his fire type and sighed. "You ever figure out what you wanted to do yet?"

"To be honest, no. I really haven't, but that's why I'm on my way to Veilstone City."

"Veilstone?! What's happening there? You challenging the gym leader or something?"

She shook her head. "I want to get stronger."

That statement left Barry confused. "In what regard?"

"Well...Sorta like how you and Lucas are. You're both so sure of what you're doing and you guys have so much more drive than I do."

The blonde scoffed at her words. "Between you and me, I can be a bit of an airhead and Lucas is powered up trainwreck."

"What's with you two? You're both so distant from each other."

He folded his arms and looked down. "I tried getting on his good side, but he's just so freaking angry all the time. He brushes me off like he's better than me! He's just so infuriating! I've come to realize that he's a hopeless jerk!"

"That's not true Barry. Sure he's a little aggressive at times but he really is carrying a lot of grief. You know how close he was to his grandfather."

"Tch! We were all close to the old guy! Him passing away doesn't give him the right to be so cold towards me and especially not you!"

Dawn's expression fell. "I promise you Barry that he's changing. You'll see. I guarantee that you two will be best friends again."

"How can you be so sure? What if he snaps again like in Jubilife City? If he hurts you I swear I'm gonna destroy him!"

She giggled at his fired up look. "That's sweet but I'm pretty sure I'll be fine."

"Hmph...If you say so…"

"So how long are you gonna be in Hearthome City?"

"I dunno. The stupid gym leader is out right now and is kinda holding me up right now."

"Oh, well I guess that means we'll be able to meet up with each other."

That got Barry to smile again. "Figures you'd only catch up to me when I'm practically forced to take a break."

"Now that's just plain rude." She pouted.

"Don't worry. I'll be here. Then we can catch up up the times. There's this new restaurant that opened up! You and me gotta go!"99

Dawn winced with lightly colored cheeks. "W...what?"

Her strange actions made Barry confused. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"S...sorry. It just sounded like you were asking me on a date on something."

"..." The gears in his head started turning and he soon flew out of his seat. "WHAT?! NO I SWEAR I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT! I JUST MEANT AS LIKE BUDDIES AND WHAT NOT!"

"Relax Barry I gotcha. Well, I guess I'll see you in Hearthome then."

"Heheheh...Yeah…"

"Alright. Take care of yourself."

"Right back at ya!" They both signed off of the PC to go about their day..

Barry stood up with his partner with a goofy smile on his face. "I can't believe I did that! I can't believe she said yes!" He scooped up Monferno and grinned. "Well buddy, things are really looking up for us!" Monferno smirked and flashed him a thumbs up. I'd say that we head to that new park to celebrate!"

Barry sat down on a park bench as his Monferno happily jumping around. He looked up at the clouds as they passed by. He felt good. Everything to him felt good. At least until he heard some commotion a few feet away.

"Come on sweetie! We have to go back to the hotel room. Your father's probably waiting for us."

"But mom! Waffle wants to play some more!" The small brown haired little boy whined with a small cat like pokemon in his arms.

"You and Waffle can play more back at the beach. We have to hurry now. We'll miss our ride back."

The boy huffed and stomped next to the woman. The small infant in her arms clapped his hands and giggled.

"Fine! Only because dad probably brought back some more of that soup that tasted so good."

The mother of the two laughed. "Honestly, what is it with you two and that chowder? You both go crazy for it everytime. You'd think you'd both be sick of it by now."

"No way! Dad and I just have good tastes."

Barry saw this and dropped his mood. Thoughts of his father swirled in his head. If there was anything that he knew for certain that he and Lucas had in common, it was theirs clear disdain for their father's.

While Lucas hated his for the constant abuse, Barry hated his because of his neglectful nature. He used to think that his was the coolest like most people did, he soon grew to loathe his father's position. He hated his executive title of Tower Tycoon. All his father ever did was train himself and his pokemon. He often left Barry and his mother alone. His mother still had a deep love for the man but Barry did not. He was still undecided about his views of the man. While he admired his battle talents, he couldn't see himself feeling attached to him in any way.

"Hey buddy you ready to go? I'm kinda bored." His Monferno nodded and accepted being put back in his ball. Barry got up off of the bench and stretched his limbs. "Well if I'm gonna be here for a little while, might as well start looking for someplace to sleep."

He was about to make his trip to the Pokemon Center but was stopped when a bright flash of light appeared behind him. He turned around to get a quick glimpse at what the cause was. When the bright light died down, there stood a taller guy with brown hair. His black t-shirt was somewhat tattered and he noticed a slight discoloration in one of his eyes. One was a deep brown while the other was pale. His black pants were also somewhat ripped and the red sneakers were quite worn. All in all the guy looked like he had seen better days.

"Damn that hurt! I feel like my head is gonna fall off. Oh wait! Here comes the dizziness." He leaned against the park bench and panted deeply. "Oh my gosh! I think I'm gonna be sick."

"...Um, who the heck are you? And where did you just come from?!" Barry shouted.

The guy looked at him and went pale. "Oh...crap...I uh...What exactly did you see?"

"First there was nothing, then there was a random bright light, and now you're just magically here!"

He scratched his head and chuckled nervously. "Yeah...So you mind forgetting about all this?"

"Kinda hard to do. That's besides the point though! Who are you?!"

"No way I can share that info kiddo."

Barry narrowed his eyes at the man. "Where did you come from then?"

"My dear old mother. That wrap up your questions?"

"What?! No! You haven't said anything remotely close to reasonable!"

The man smirked. "Well that's too bad! Gotta go now!"

The man bolted past the kid and took off through the park towards the entrance gate.

"HEY!" Barry sprinted after him. "Wait up! I still have some questions!"

The man looked behind him with shock as the blonde was slowly gaining on him. "Holy crap he's faster than I thought…"

"Just tell me who you are man! C'mon!"

The man dashed around the streets of Hearthome City. He vaulted over a moving car and front flipped over a baby carriage. "Sorry kid but I've got no time to waste." He ended up running down an alleyway with a satisfied grin on his face. "Ah, not too shabby…" He kicked his feet up and pushed off of the wall, flying over the tall metal gate. He slid through a few over more buildings and ended back on the sidewalk. He looked around for any signs of the kid but couldn't find him. He let out a small laughed before getting tackled by the speedy blonde.

"HA! I got you now!"

"How the hell?! I thought that I ditched you!"

Barry grinned. "Wasn't to hard. I just had to push myself a little bit more." He made an attempt to constrain the man. "Now spill it!"

"You got guts kid." The man twisted his wrist and ended up grabbing Barry's forearm. He shifted his legs and flipped the smaller boy over and pinned him down against the concrete. "Too bad I've had years of combat experience."

"Aw man…" Barry grumbled.

The man tightened his grip on the boy, ignoring the odd looks he got from the onlookers. "Look buddy. You're quite persistent and I can respect that so I'll tell you what. I'll strike you a deal. Info for info. You tell me what I wanna know and I'll answer any singular question that you have. Deal?"

"...Fine."

"Great! Now listen closely. I need to know where I can find someone."

"Okay and who might that be?" Barry asked.

"He's a little boy around your age. Jet black hair, plays around a little too much."

"...You're not talking about Lucas are you?"

The man nodded as he released the blonde. "So you do know him. Where is he?"

"Last I saw he was in Eterna City. He got beat up pretty badly though. There's a good chance that he's back home now though." The man notice his sour tone of voice.

"Why do you say that?"

"He's not a good trainer. He's too reckless and he nearly lost his life. I told the gym leader that he shouldn't battle her for his own good."

"Are we talking about the same Lucas kid?!"

"If you're referring to the one from Sandgem then yes, we really are."

The man shook his head. "Damn. That doesn't seem right...Is there something weird about him? Anything at all?"

"You mean besides his bad attitude?"

"Uh...yes…"

Barry thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, he does have some freaky powers."

This got the man's attention. "Powers you say? Like what exactly?"

"You're asking a whole lot of questions man."

"Just answer already!" The man shouted.

"Alright!" Barry shouted back. "Well from what I've seen he can make fire from his body. Electricity too I think."

"Yeah that sounds about right...Look, thanks for the help little man. I gotta go now."

The blonde grit his teeth with impatience. "NO WAY! It's my turn now!"

"Right...Ask away my friend."

"I want to know who your really are. Like in actual detail."

"The names Black. I come from a far away region. Unova to be exact." He said.

"Unova? Never heard of it…"

"Yeah...It's not all that yet but it will be." The man smiled.

"Okay so why do you wanna see Lucas so bad. Your two related? Cousins maybe?"

"Not really but I am in fact close to him."

Barry was confused by his words. He hadn't ever seen the man around Twinleaf let alone Sandgem where Lucas actually lived. He was growing more and more suspicious.

"Well I don't know about all that. Lucas is for lack of a better word kinda weird. He was cool before his grandfather died. Now he's all bitter. Trust me when I say, you're better off just leaving him alone."

"Sorry but that's not an option at the moment. I need his help."

"With what?"

The man smirked. "Stuff you don't understand kid. Now if you don't mind, I think I'll be on my way."

"Aw what?! No way! I still have questions!"

The man turned and waved. "Catch ya later kid."

Barry fumed with clear impatience. "You get back here! I'll...I'll...I'll fine you for this!"

The man chuckled. "Sorry to burst your bubble little dude, but I've got no cash on me." He took off running leaving the enraged Barry all alone on the sidewalk.

"Jerk…" He mumbled before walking around the city with his arms up and behind his head. "What do I do now? Who knows when Dawn's gonna get here? The way she moves it'll take a decade and a half." His eyes traveled to the contest hall before him. "...Well I've got literally nothing better to do."

He walked inside the large building and made short glances at all of the well dressed people and their pokemon. He already felt way outta place. He was walking to the front counter were an argument could be heard between a red haired boy with glasses and some eccentric girl that was doing most of the yelling.

"No! I will not stand for such intolerance! You WILL get me my sparkling water! None of this cheap vending machine nonsense that you dare try to poison my luxurious body with!" The brown haired girl shouted at what Barry simply thought was her slave.

"But the vending machine doesn't have sparkling water."

She scoffed and backhanded the glasses off of his face. "Then run to the nearest shop and FIND ME SOME!"

He scrambled around in order to place the bifocals back over his eyes. "Yes Lady Kennedy…" The frail boy ran out of the building with the bottle of spring water.

"Unbelievable! Why is everyone so useless!" The girl's eyes moved to the very much uncomfortable Barry. "You there!"

He looked around before nervously pointing to himself. "Who me?"

"Obviously! Fetch me a towel! It's extremely hot in here!" She ordered.

Barry unconvincingly stifled a laughed. "Whoa, back up sister. I'm not some little errand boy! I'm a trainer."

"Then what are you even doing in the contest hall?!"

"Uh...I came to watch like most people."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Then why are you near me? Don't you have a seat to get to?"

"Yeah, I would but I can't really get my ticket because you're blocking the admission counter." He responded with a deadpan voice.

The girl took note of his words and grew red with mild embarrassment. "WELL THEN GO TO ANOTHER COUNTER!"

"Of all the counters in this dumb place THIS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT DOESN'T INVOLVE COMPETING!!!" Barry shouted.

The girl crossed her arms and tilted her head with a small smirk gracing her glossy lips. "Well then I guess you're just out of luck then."

"Out of luck?! WILL YOU JUST MOVE OUTTA THE-"

"Barry? Is that really you?"

The blonde haired boy turned his head and saw both his and Dawn's mother walking over to him.

"Mom?! Mrs. Johanna?! Why are you guys here? Wait! Dumb question. I know why Mrs. Johanna comes here but mom you're pretty much throwing me for a loop right now."

His mother came up and slapped the top of his head. "You don't call or write to me since you've been gone and yet the question on you're mind is why I'm here?!"

"Well I mean, I just thought that...Never mind. I was just curious and I'm sorry for not calling or anything like that. I've just been busy is all. I've got no time to waste! Especially if I'm gonna be the best that there ever was and all that other good stuff."

The brown haired woman sighed. "You're just like your father."

Barry grimaced at that. "In what regard?"

"You've definitely got his spirit."

"Maybe so, but at least I'll still be around for you."

His mother smacked him again. "What have I told you about speaking like that Barry?"

"I'm sorry mom but it's the truth! He didn't even come home for my birthday! He probably doesn't even know that I'm thirteen now."

His mother cupped her hands around his youthful face. "Your father loves you Barry. Deep down you know that."

"Yeah well he's got a pretty funny way of showing it." He huffed. "So you gonna tell me what's going on or is that still a bad thing?"

"Well me and Johanna just wanted some fresh air. Now that you're out on your own, I tend to get lonely in the house all by myself."

Barry felt a slight tinge of guilt in his chest. "Mom I'm sorry if you're feeling all alone and stuff. If you want, I could just forget about this whole journey and come back-"

"Relax Barry I'm only joking. Besides, me and Johanna needed a little girl time."

"Alright, if you say so…"

Johanna then thought about something. "Hey Barry. What ever happened to Dawn and Lucas?"

"Well I just talked to Dawn not too long ago. She's on her way to Hearthome right now and Lucas is...somewhere right now. I don't really know. I haven't really gotten the chance to actually talk to him."

"I see. He's probably the one that's all alone." Barry's mother sighed.

The guilt crept back into the blonde boy once more. "It was better that way...He'll be better off…" Barry murmured.

"What do you mean?" Both women asked.

"He got hurt not too long ago. He was reckless and was trying to fight off a group of bad people all by himself. He nearly died. I didn't want that to happen to him again so I got the gym leader to convince him that he shouldn't be a trainer anymore. My guess is that he's back with his family."

His mother gave him another hard smack. "Now why would you go and say something like that?! It's not your place to decide whether or not he becomes a trainer or not!"

He shook his head. "Look, even if he won't admit it, Lucas is still someone that I consider a friend. He may be a jerk but that doesn't mean I want the guy to die. You two didn't see what I saw. He was in rough shape."

"I still think that was very rude of you Barry. You need to apologize when you see him again."

He sighed at his mother's order. "Fine, but I still meant what I said."

Johanna stopped her friend from giving her son another slap and instead walked her around the building.

"I can't believe that you know Johanna!" The girl snorted.

Barry narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah...So what?"

"So what?! How dare you! She was one of the best coordinators in the entire region! A peasant like you shouldn't even be allowed to even breath near her."

He smirked in her face. "Well jokes on you! I've known her since I was in diapers!" He yelled.

"LIAR! That is absolutely preposterous!"

He folded his arms. "Well too bad! It's the truth!"

"My lady! Your sparkling water!" The scrawny kid yelled as he shoved Barry out of the way.

"About time! I was growing quite parched due to this buffoon."

"Would you like me to escort him away?"

"Yes, and make it quick!" She snapped.

"Please come with me sir." The kid grabbed Barry by his arm and tugged him towards the door.

"Wait what?! But my ticket!"

The kid brought him outside and dusted of his hands. "I'm truly sorry about this."

"Dude! You didn't have to throw me out of the entire building! It's cold outside!"

He bowed to me. "Have a good evening sir."

Barry glared at the other kid as he walked back inside. He turned and stomped off in the direction of the pokemon.

"Lousy well dressed scumbags…"


	13. Fabled Annoyance

-Sandgem Town-

It was half past noon in the little town. The cold autumn air swooshed through the grass, blowing the dark colored leaves off of the several fifty foot trees.

It was pretty much like how it normally had been. Quiet and peaceful. The few wild creatures roamed around freely. The residents of the town were all inside of their respective homes enjoying the start of the weekend morning. All except for one little girl.

She was sitting in the sand of the small beach trying her hardest to play a video game that she enjoyed more than all of the others. It was one based on the the former champion of Kanto. The one that had gone missing about a year or two ago.

It was the mystery of the century. Media outlets spreading the news of how the undefeated champion of Kanto seemingly disappeared from off the face of the Earth. There was a worldwide search for him but no matter how hard people tried, nobody could find him.

This game was made as a showing of gratitude for all that he had done. Stopping the infamous Team Rocket single handedly, finding and the monstrous Mewtwo and silencing its rage, capturing the three Legendary birds and even becoming the youngest trainer in history to become a league's champion. A month younger than the previous holder of that record. His feats were all around incredible.

This game was a sort of retelling of his story. A way to relive his adventure. She loved and cherished it. It was what brought her memories of her cousin and to some extent, her older brother as well.

"Liz!"

She turned her head and saw her father walking over to her with his usual cigarette hanging from his lips. His glasses magnified the stern look in his eyes.

She quickly got up and tried to hide her handheld device. "Yeah dad?"

"What the hell are you doing out her? You still haven't finished your morning studies."

"I know dad. I was just taking a short break."

He scratched his head awkwardly. So, have you heard anything from Lucas?" He asked timidly.

The little girl glared up at him. "If you wanna talk to him then just do it already."

"You know that it won't be so easy." He sighed.

"Why are you so afraid to change things yourself dad? You know what grandpa would say if he saw what was going on between you guys."

He exhaled a puff of smoke. "He'd call me a fool…"

"You're too hard on yourself. You made mistakes but that doesn't mean that they can't be fixed. Sure Lucas is pretty grumpy all the time and is a lot more hostile these days. It's just because he took Grandpa's death the hardest out of all of us. It sucked for me too, but I was still little. I never got to have the same bond that they did. I noticed the change immediately. It was scary. He spent a lot of time alone. He lashed out at people and nearly burned the lab down when he got ticked off."

"Because I pushed him too hard…"

They started walking back towards their house. Both still engaged in the conversation that they had.

"I gotta know something dad."

He quirked a brow. "What is it?"

"Why did you decide to start testing on him so much? You know he hated it so why?"

He dropped his cigarette to the floor and crushed it with his boot. "It all goes back to your mother."

Liz's eyes widened. "Mom?! What does she have to do with it?"

"Before you were born, she was an adventurous woman. An explorer of sorts. She and I had taken a trip to Mt. Coronet during one of our summer outings. It was a hiking trip that we had planned together. She wanted to uncover some mystery about some ancient ruins."

"Where you guys hunting for some kind of lost treasure or something?"

He shook his head. "It was more like a place of legends. A place bound by lost myths and old folks tales. The one true heaven of this world."

"I don't understand."

"Don't ponder on it too much. It was a simple minded fantasy that we once believed to be true. Our journey up the mountain only led us to a small, ordinary cave."

"So what does that have to do with Lucas?"

He cleared his throat. "Inside of the cave was your older brother. He was an isolated newborn that we had thought to be abandoned. Your mother and I quickly rescued him from off of the mountain and brought him back to our home."

"So we were adopted?" This was making her even more confused.

"No Liz. Lucas was adopted. You are definitely the daughter of me and your mother. Lucas' biological parents are a mystery as is the reason he was left all alone in that cave."

"What about the ruins, and the powers that he has?"

"I had many theories as to why he was ables to use the moves of a pokemon. One of which involved his being connected to the ruins. I speculated that he's the key to finding them."

"Has anyone ever found this place? I mean, if he was just left there somebody had to know." She asked.

"There are no valid sources that show proof of discovery. It's all more than likely make-believe. As for his powers, it's most likely the result of a gene mutation or the starting result of human evolution."

"That still doesn't explain why he was left in a cave though. How long was he in there?"

Her father sighed. "It's not clear. A human child wouldn't last very long in a freezing cave all by themselves. He'd have been eaten by a larger pokemon, starved to death or suffered from hypothermia. Whoever left him there had to have done so just prior to us finding him."

"That's so bizarre…"

"Look, that's enough story time. You must return to your studies young lady. If going to that trainer school is what you desire then you have little time fool around." He scolded.

"When I said I wanted to go to trainer school, I didn't mean the most stuck up prestigious one in the world dad…"

"If you won't allow me to homeschool you like I did with your brother then this is your alternative choice. You will have the best education possible. Nothing less!"

"I'm only eight. Aren't those places for teenagers?"

"Only the brightest minds! You and your brother are far more advanced than those in your respective age groups. This is the best option."

"If you say so dad…" She rolled her eyes.

-With Lucas-

"Lucas, calm down! You're going to faint if you keep freaking out like that!" Dawn reassured with a pat on his back.

"NO WAY! It's bad enough that we had to walk all the way back through that Floaroma Town cave, back through Jubilife City, through the Oreburgh cave, just to end up at THIS cave! Why? BECAUSE THE STUPID BIKE ROAD WAS CLOSED!!!"

She was starting to lose her patience with the stubborn boy. She understood his discomfort but was fed up with it at the same time. "Come on Lucas! I don't wanna be here anymore than you do!"

He shouted. "I can't do it! I hate caves! I'm about ready to blow this entire place up!"

 _"Does this always happen when we go through a dark place?"_ Buizel asked.

 _"Yeah, pretty much. The guy's got issues…"_ Grotle muttered nonchalantly.

Dawn had spent about twelve minutes trying to get him back on his feet so that they could finally leave the cave. It was proving to be more of a difficult task than she initially thought.

"Look Lucas! I can see the exit!" She partially lied about that. It was just another opening that COULD be the exit.

He was curled up in a ball, hugging his knees to his chest. "Don't you dare lie to me Dawn!"

 _"Forgive me Lucas."_ Sparks sighed and shocked his trainer unconscious.

"SPARKS!" Dawn screamed.

 _"What the heck?!"_ Buizel yelled while nearly getting zapped as well.

 _"Move outta the way next time!"_ Sparks turned and redirected his glare over to the lounging grass type. _"Don't just stand there! Come and carry him!_ "

 _"Don't tell me what to do house cat…"_

With a snoozing Lucas on the back of Grotle, they had all managed to make some form of progress. They had entered another section of the cave that had streams of crystal clear water. A tall man with blue hair stood alone, staring at his reflection.

Dawn had quickly noticed his presence. She wasn't sure if he was a potential threat or not. She didn't want to take any chances with Lucas still knocked out so she made an attempt to sneak past him. That only ended up in failure.

"You there. Are you aware of what it is you are doing?" He said. His deep voice sending chills down her spine.

"W-who? Me?"

"Yes. Now answer my question."

"Well...What are you doing here?" She wasn't sure what he was referring to so she decided to evade the question all together.

The man sent her a glare before walking over to her. He grabbed her arm and forced her to make eye contact. This action riled up the pokemon behind her.

"You're playing a dangerous game little girl. That boy you're traveling with is nothing but trouble. He'll get you killed."

"GET OFF OF ME!" She yanked her arm back and shot him a nasty look. "You don't even know us!"

"That's where you're wrong little girl. I know that boy all too well. He's a being that you cannot begin to comprehend."

"I know full well what he can do! That's why I trust him! Definitely more than some creep hanging out in a cave!" She spat back at him.

"Foolish child...Very well. In time you will understand. Maybe you'll even be a part in all of this. Yes…"

Sparks had heard enough. He stepped forward with electrical currents surging through his fur. He let out a growl as a brief warning for what was to come if the man didn't move out of their way.

"I'd listen to him. He has a nasty temper." Dawn grinned.

The man closed his eyes and walked past them. "All in good time…"

Grotle scoffed. _"What a freaking weirdo."_

Buizel gave a nervous chuckle followed by a light shiver. _"That guy really rubs me the wrong way. Right Sparks?"_

Sparks just continued looking at the man as he walked off. His angered look never leaving his face.

 _"Uh, Earth to Sparks! Do you copy?!"_

He closed his eyes and continued walking. _"Be silent water type."_

 _"Well it looks like he's back in good spirits!"_

Dawn continued to lead everyone to the exit of the cave. Her mind was being filled with the constant warnings that the mysterious man gave to her. Lucas being a problem was somewhat scary to her. She knew that he had powers and he did get pretty angry whenever things go wrong. Even still, she always saw the good in him. No matter what, they were still friends. Otherwise she wouldn't be traveling with him right now.

She looked down at a map and scanned it over. "Hearthome isn't too far from here!"

 _"Seriously?! It's about time! I'm so tired of walking!"_ Buizel cheered happily.

From the edge of Grotle's back, Lucas stirred and opened his eyes. "What? Where am I?"

 _"Outside of the cave. I knocked you out because you were panicking again.."_ Sparks explained.

"Oh...Well I guess everything worked out then!"

The grass type shoved him. _"TELL THAT TO MY SORE BACK!"_

"Look I'll pay you back later! For now, let's get to the city!"

"Lucas wait!" Dawn called out to him.

He slid to a halt and raised a questioning brow. "Huh? What is it?"

"There was this guy in the cave. He said that he knew you or something like that."

"Did you get his name?"

She shook her head. "No. He just walked off." She purposely left out the warnings that he gave her.

Lucas shrugged nonchalantly. "Then I guess he wasn't important. Now come on! I'm all fired up for this gym battle!"

He and his team ran off towards the gates of the city, leaving Dawn there to wonder what the real urgency of the situation was.

The city itself was fairly big with multiple homes and restaurants. Buizel was the most excited about their newfound destination.

 _"So many options! This is gonna be so cool!"_

 _"Hush up water type. Our main priority is crushing the gym leader and getting our badge. No distractions!"_

Buizel pouted at Sparks' words. _"You are a literal buzzkill dude!"_

Turtwig snickered. _"Who the heck made you the bossy leader?"_

 _"It's the most logical decision. One of us has to take charge in case Lucas is absent."_

 _"I say that I'd be better for the job."_

Sparks narrowed his eyes. _"Is that a fact?"_

 _"Well yeah! I'm the biggest now so I take charge!"_ He looked at Buizel with a devilish smirk on his face. _"Fetch me some water underling!"_

Buizel huffed and folded his arms. _"I hate you so much."_

 _"Speak for the both of us…"_

The group made their way into the city. It was relatively crowded and had a decent amount of simplicity to its structures.

"ALRIGHT! I'm so ready for this! After the beatdown we gave to Gardenia, I know we can handle this gym no problem!"

Buizel started shaking nervously. _"But aren't we fighting ghosts?"_

Grotle noticed his reaction and snickered. _"You're not scared are you?"_

 _"You better not be! You'll be of some actual use in this battle unlike the last one."_ Sparks growled.

 _"No way! I was just asking. AND IT WASN'T MY FAULT THE GYM WAS GRASS TYPE!"_

 _"Typings mean little if you're strong enough."_

 _"...Won't be saying that when we fight a ground type…"_ Buizel muttered under his breath. This didn't go unnoticed by Sparks.

 _"I dare you to repeat that! You're just a bottom tier water type! I don't even understand why Lucas even felt the need to catch you!"_

 _"He's not wrong…"_ Grotle added.

Lucas turned and glared at them. "Shut it! All of you! We are NOT gonna screw around in this city like with the others!"

"When do we ever screw around?" The bulky grass type asked.

His question caused his trainer to scowl. "I'm seriously not kidding!"

 _"I only promise to try…"_

 _"GUYS LOOK!"_ Buizel ran over to a shop that had a small sign that said _"Poffins" on it. "Can we PLEASE go in here first!"_

Sparks scoffed. _"No! We came here for a gym battle and that's what we're going to do."_

 _"Sparks! Shush!"_ He ran up and begged in front of Lucas. _"Please!"_

"We'll head there after our battle. That means we gotta win. Got it?"

His face darkened. "I will murder every single ghost in that gym."

"...Love the attitude." Lucas turned his attention to Dawn who was looking around aimlessly. "Hey, you alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! I'm fine. You guys go ahead to the gym. I'll meet up with you later." She replied.

"Wait...You're not coming with us to the battle?"

"Sorry but not this time. I gotta go! Good luck with your battle!" She said quickly before running off.

"But..."

 _"Good riddance. She was just dead weight. Let's go."_ Sparks grumbled. The other two pokemon followed behind.

"...Tch, fine…" He stuffed his hands in his pocket and walked down the street towards the gym. His mood was much more bitter than he wanted to admit.

They all stopped in front of the door and glanced at the sign. Much to his annoyance, the place was closed.

 _"Those weaklings were too afraid to challenge me."_ The electric type snarled with hatred.

Grotle snorted. _"Do you even hear yourself? Clearly the gym leader is just absent."_

Buizel tugged on the fuming trainer's jeans. _"Does that mean we can go eat now?"_

"I DON'T CARE! DO WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANT!" He shouted. He stomped off leaving his team standing at the closed entrance.

 _"But Lucas! I don't have any money! Lucas! Come back dude!"_

Grotle shook his head. _"Good job underling. You made him mad again."_

 _"Me?! It was you two! Both of you are always arguing!"_

Sparks glared. _"Don't even think about blaming me. You two are the annoying ones!"_

 _"Whatever! I'm going back to the Poffin shop where they appreciate their costumers!"_

Grotle looked at Sparks with confusion. _"So what now?"_

-With Dawn-

She ran towards the pokemon center and found exactly who she was looking for.

"Hey Barry!"

Said blonde rose up from the cushion he was sitting on and stared at her. "Oh shoot! You actually made it!"

"Well duh! Why wouldn't I?"

He grinned. "Well you are pretty slow so…"

She playfully shoved him back. "How long have you been here?"

"I dunno...A day I think. You just now getting here?"

"Yeah. It was an...interesting trip."

He rolled his eyes. "If you say so."

The two walked out and browsed the city. Barry decided to tell her about his run in with a strange brown haired man while on the way to the restaurant he told her about.

"The guy was a weirdo. He was so dead set on finding Lucas. It kinda freaked me out."

"Really? Someone came by me not too long ago. He said I should be cautious of him. I wasn't too sure what he meant by that."

"So it's true. Lucas really is a problem."

Dawn flinched at how aggressively he spoke. "Don't say that Barry. He isn't some kind of monster or something."

He crossed his arms. "Dawn I'm just being realistic. You remember the Jubilife thing don't you?!"

This caused Dawn narrow her eyes at him. "They shot his grandfather's pokemon! He had every right to be upset!"

"I know! It's just...What if he goes nuts someday? What he he turns all evil and wants to take over the world?! What are we supposed to do about that?!"

"You sound absolutely insane right now."

He dropped his frantic expression. "I just don't want you or anyone else getting hurt. Not even him. Back in Eterna City, I saw him. He was fighting against the Galactic group. One of them was pretty strong. She messed him up real bad. It was kinda scary seeing him like that."

"He'll get stronger Barry. Someday we all will."

He jumped up with a sudden burst of excitement. "Oh yeah! Have you started training your team yet?! They gotta be super tough by now."

She blushed and looked down at her boots. "N-not really…"

"Oh...Well have you caught anything new recently?"

"...No."

"WHAT?! How come? Those are like the essentials of being a pokemon trainer!" He shouted.

"It's mostly because I'm not entirely sure I want to be a trainer."

"No way…"

She turned away from him. "Pretty lame, right? I've come this far and nothings changed. I'm the saddest excuse for a trainer there is."

"I mean you don't have to go that route. It's not for everyone. Maybe you could do the contest thing like your mom. The building ain't too far from here."

"I don't wanna do that either. Being in my mom's shadow. Living up too those expectations. I just can't."

There was a strong silence between the two of them. Bitterness and regret filling the atmosphere.

The blonde shook his head and grabbed her shoulders. "Why don't we go grab a bite to eat? You know, to lift your spirits!" He didn't give her any room to respond as he took her hand and dragged her inside of the building.

-With Sparks and Grotle-

Sparks started grinding his teeth against each other in order to quell his growing agitation. He had been roaming the city in search for his trainer. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find him. To make matters worse, Grotle had decided to tag along but was proving to be a nuisance to him.

 _"We passed this building already! We should go left!"_

Sparks gave him a quick death stare. _"We just came from the left!"_

 _"The we'll make two lefts."_

 _"...Then we'll be going back to the start."_

Grotle thought for a second. _"Then we'll make THREE lefts!"_

Sparks resisted the sudden urge to pluck every single leaf off of his back. _"We're going right."_

 _"You mean three lefts!"_

 _"Why don't you ever just shut your mouth?!"_

This caused the grass type to crack a grin. _"What's wrong? You mad?"_

 _"You're not even worth the effort."_

 _"Blah blah blah! You're such a freaking self absorbed pet."_

 _"JUST SHUT UP AND LOOK FOR LUCAS!"_

-With Lucas-

The boy was trying desperately to cool himself down. He felt a bit of betrayal from Dawn parting was with him. He was fed up with his teams constant bickering and above all else, he was sick and tired of things not going his way. He just wanted one little break from it all.

His wanderings led him to a strange looking building. It definitely stood out from all the other more simple structures that filled the city.

Lucas notice an older man standing outside shouting around a bunch of words in hopes of drawing attention to the pedestrians.

The man stopped his yelled and looked at the young boy with a bright smile on his face.

"Ah yes! A new face. Come child! Worship our very creators."

"...What?!"

The man quirked a brow. "Do you truly not know of our creator? The god of all. The legend!"

Lucas took a cautious step backwards. "I have no idea what you're going on about!"

"There's no need for alarm dear boy." He grabbed Lucas' hand and tugged him inside much to the boy's annoyance.

The man walked up the aisle with his hands behind his back. He waved to the multiple people that stood quietly. He stood at the podium and placed his hands together.

Lucas decided to play along and took a spot next to a small family. He stood there and looked at the man as he closed his eyes.

"Before we begin...Let us pray to our creator." He said gracefully.

Lucas looked around with confusion as everyone lowered their heads and closed their eyes.

"...Oh geez…" He muttered.

The man next to him glared. "Show some respect for the holy bishop and The Creator." He whispered angrily.

"Listen dude, I didn't even plan on coming here." The boy whispered back.

"Then it is a sign. You were destined to be amongst your fellow brothers and sisters in order to praise the ultimate being. Our true deity."

Lucas sighed and shook his head. "Sounds like a load of crap."

Everyone paused their praying and looked directly at him. All were in disbelief of his words.

"What did he just say?!"

"How dare that little brat!"

"He's a spawn of the Distortion! A worshiper of the darkness!"

The boy looked around nervously as the people grew restless. They seemed as though they were going to lash out at him.

"Settle down everyone!" The bishop yelled. He looked at Lucas and smiled. "Please come forth young man."

"A-alright…" He stepped forward towards the podium. "What's the point of all this?"

The man turned to the large wall of bright, colorful glass. "This child is the beginning. The very creation of everything."

"The creation of everything?"

The older man nodded. "A being so powerful that it shaped everything in existence."

"So you're saying that some weird entity just magically made everything from nothing? That's absolutely ridiculous."

"Maybe to some but to those that are wise and enlightened, they understand the truth."

Lucas scoffed. "Everyone knows that the world started of with an explosion of matter. At least in the most scientific theories. One being creating everything makes no sense."

"Ah, so you are clouded with doubts…"

The boy shook his head. "Uh, no! I'm speaking from a logical standpoint. That's what happens when you grow up with scientists."

"Science cannot explain everything dear boy."

"Well I'm not buying it. You really expect me to believe that a mythical white creature just decided to make earth one day?!"

The bishop nodded. "It is the truth young man."

"Hmph...What are you going to explain the afterlife next?!"

"Those that believe and live a peaceful life of love and acceptance will be blessed with a calm and graceful rest. Those that live a life of hate and disbelief of the Creator will fall to the realm of Distortion and spend eternity in agony with the being of darkness.

"I highly doubt any of that is actually true given the fact that you have no proof."

"Your soul is quite far but not lost child. You can still find the path to holiness."

Lucas looked back at the glass and stared at the white creature atop the mountain. His mind was spinning with the various thoughts within his head.

"I...I just...can't believe in something like this. I'm sorry old guy but I'm outta here."

The bishop looked at him with a hint of disappointment. "That is quite unfortunate. I hope you will one day find the light young man."

Lucas brushed his words off and stepped outside. He was partially annoyed at how the bishop kept trying to sway him into believing a fairytale. He continued walking down the street until he tripped over a ball of blue fur.

"Hey what where you're-"

 _"HA! GOOD JOB HOUSE CAT! YOU CAN'T EVEN WALK RIGHT ON THE SIDEWALK!"_

 _"Shut up grass type! The idiot tripped over ME!"_

Lucas stared down at his pokemon. "Hey guys." He waved awkwardly.

 _"Lucas?! Where did you come from?"_ Grotle asked.

 _"Who cares?! Let's just get out of this worthless city. The gym leader isn't here so at this point, we're just wasting our time here."_

" _Yeah, this place is kinda...meh…"_

"Alright fine. I guess we are just wasting time. Barry probably has like two more badges by now…"

His duo looked at him with dissatisfaction. Grotle was the one to speak up. "I thought you didn't care about him having more than you."

"W-well I don't! I just...Don't want him to talk trash the next time we meet, that's all. Sheesh guys, come on!"

They glanced at each other before Sparks let a smirk spread across his lips. _"Alrighty then. Back on our journey to Veilstone City."_

Lucas narrowed his eyes bd folded his arms. "Sparks…"

 _"Oh come on Lucas! We gotta go now!"_

"We're not leaving Buizel...or Dawn I guess..."

 _"Fine! Get the useless female but leave the water type behind!"_

"No! Now let's go find him already."

They roamed the entire city in search for their missing teammate. It had been about an hour since they started.

They ended stopping in front of the poffin shop. That's when Lucas groaned and smacked himself.

"There a problem Lucas?" Grotle asked.

"Why didn't we check here first?!" He shouted.

 _"You know I was actually wondering that myself…"_

Sparks simply rolled his eyes. _"Unbelievable…"_

 _"Oh shut up! You didn't say anything to help!"_

"Relax! What's done is done. We're here now so lets just grab him and go."

The three or them walked inside and saw utter chaos. Batter was splattered all over the walls, bowls were scattered around the floor, tables were flipped over and multiple people were all hurled up in the corner. All of them shaking with fear.

In the center of the room was Buizel, face first in a bowl of fresh pink batter.

 _"Wow…"_ The duo murmured.

"Please! Help us kid!" The woman in the front of the group yelled.

Lucas stomped over to his water type and grabbed him by the back of his neck. The didn't stop him from feasting.

"Get your head outta that bowl!"

 _"...No!"_

"Yes…"

 _"No!"_

"I said yes!"

 _"NO!"_

"YES!!!"

 _"FINE!"_ Buizel chucked the now empty bowl to the floor and let out a deep burp. _"I was done anyway!"_

"You are going hungry for the rest of this journey!" Lucas scolded.

"T-that beast is your pokemon?!" A quivering man asked.

 _"Tch...Unfortunately…"_ Sparks muttered to himself.

Lucas sighed. "Yeah, he is."

"He destroyed our entire shop! He even ate all of our ingredients! Who's gonna pay for all this?!"

"Uh…"

 _"LET'S BAIL!"_ Buizel shouted before diving head first out of the nearest window.

 _"Can't argue with that!"_ Turtwig ran out of the front door with Sparks following.

"Heheh...Yeah so, sorry about your shop!" With that, Lucas sprinted out of the messed up building and down the street with his team.

 _"Woohoo! We did it guys! Up high!"_ The orange water type held his flipper up and smiled. This prompted Sparks to zap him with a strong bolt of electricity.

 _"Moron…"_

"Fantastic! Another city that is sure to blacklist us! Absolutely wonderful!"

 _"As long as we still have each other-"_

 _"NO!"_ Lucas whipped out a pokeball from his bag and glared at his team's water type.

 _"Aw c'mon! That's going a little too far!"_ Buizel shouted.

"You get in there right now!"

 _"Ugh! Man...This is so stupid…"_ He tapped the button, vanishing into the spherical capsule.

 _"And a dream has finally come true."_ Sparks grumbled.

 _"Can we go now?"_

"Yeah. Let's hurry up and find Dawn already."

 _"Of course..."_

It didn't take them long to find her standing outside of a small restaurant. It. Wasn't exactly the first place he thought that she'd be.

"Yo!" Lucas called out to her.

She looked at him and smiled lightly. "Hey guys. How'd your gym battle go?"

"The stupid gym was closed so we kind of just roamed around the city a bit. What about you? Things go alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah they were-"

"Alright Dawn, we can head to the Contest Hall now. That bathroom line was way longer than I thought it'd be." Barry said as he stepped foot outside of the building, wiping the water from his hand off.

Lucas stared at him with waves of shock that soon turned to anger. When Barry saw him he had a similar reaction.

The two gazed at each other with rising hostility. Wide eyes both narrowing as the seconds passed. Neither one moving from their spot. Both mentally sizing each other up.

Dawn along with the two pokemon at Lucas' feet noticed the growing tension in the air between the two heated rivals. Wanting to do something about it, Dawn spoke up.

"Hey guys-"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?!" Both shouted at each other. Barry scoffed while Lucas sneered.

"I thought you were back at Sandgem!"

"No way I'm gonna quit my journey just because YOU said so!"

Barry shook his head at him. "You're just wasting your time Lucas. Go back home!"

"Why would I do that? I'm not a coward!"

"You're just gonna get yourself killed out there you reckless idiot! Can't you see, I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU!"

"Yeah? Well sorry to say it but NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR FREAKING HELP!"

"I'm a better trainer than you are! I've got the experience! You don't! I saw what Team Galactic did to you. You aren't ready dude!"

Lucas grit his teeth and struggled to hold himself back. "How many badges do you have?"

Barry raised a brow at him. "I'm sorry, What?"

"How many badges?!" Lucas asked louder.

"I have two. What does that have to do with anything?"

Lucas went in his bag and pulled out his two gym badges. "I beat Roark and I beat Gardenia! That's means I have TWO badges! We're equal!"

"You still don't get it…"

"Get what? That you still feel superior over me? Too bad! You aren't!"

The blonde clenched his fists tightly. "I act like I'm superior?!" He pointed a finger in Lucas' face. "YOU'VE BEEN LIKE THAT WAY BEFORE ME!"

Lucas smacked his hand away and shoved him back. His eyes glowing a deep shade of red. "Keep your hand outta my face." He warned.

"You think you're so tough with those powers but look at you! Your arm still has some bandages on it!"

Lucas rubbed his arm before igniting it, burning away the loose medical wrappings. "Looks fine to me."

"THAT RIGHT THERE! THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!"

"Guys please! Cut it out!" Dawn yelled. She could tell that things were heating up. Barry's face was red and Lucas looked ready for a fight. The two boys ignored her and continued their altercation.

"You're more annoying than I originally thought." The dark haired boy cracked his flaming knuckles.

"Go ahead and punch me! Be a violent freak like everyone thinks you are!"

The orange flames burned brighter than before. "Shut your fucking mouth Barry."

"Lucas!" Dawn gasped.

Grotle looked at Sparks with panic on his eyes. _"Uh dude! Red flag!"_

Sparks was both proud and terrified of his young trainer. _"W-what the heck do you want me to do?!"_

 _"What do you think house cat?! Shock him or something!"_

 _"I-I can't! He's...He's…"_

 _"You're scared now?! Oh crap!"_

Barry stepped up to Lucas with a bold expression. He showed no fear in the face of the enraged Lucas. "Look at you! You have magical powers! So what?! You haven't done squat with them! You walk around thinking that your better than us but you're not! You just another kid! Just like the rest of us!"

"I told you to shut up!"

"STOP IT!" Dawn screamed.

"I'm. Not. Afraid. Of. You." Barry said in his face.

Lucas felt his arm go loose. His hair was starting to stand up, defying gravity itself.

"I SAID SHUT UP!!!"

 _"LUCAS!"_ His team shouted with fear for what was to come next.

He thrusted his flaming fist forward without a second thought. What happened next shocked everyone. Lucas' blood froze over when he saw the teary eyed girl hit the ground. She slid against the concrete holding the searing mark on her upper arm.

He stumbled back and looked at his hand. "N-no...Why did you…"

Barry tackled him to the ground and pinned him down. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"I didn't mean to...You were… I was…"

"YOU HURT DAWN!"

Lucas pushed him aside and ran towards the fallen girl to check on her. "Dawn! I'm so sorry!" He reached out to help her but she flinched and ran away from him. "NO WAIT!"

She ran off, leaving him there feeling like the absolute worst person in the world.


	14. Swallowed Pride

His body trembled with fear at what he had just done. Her burn mark, her tears, her sobs and even the way she ran away from him. It all struck him straight through the chest. He hurt her. He actually caused pain to one of his only friends.

"D...Dawn!" Barry shouted as he ran after her.

He left Lucas standing there with a broken look on his face. "No…"

 _"Lucas. Are you okay?"_ Sparks asked.

"I hit her. I really just hit her…"

 _"It was an accident. You didn't mean to-"_

"I HIT HER! SHE WAS TRYING TO STOP ME AND I HIT HER!"

 _"It wasn't all on you! That blonde clown was provoking you into doing it!"_

"NO! That doesn't make it right. I should've known better than to raise my fist to them. I messed up big time…"

 _"Just go apologize dude. She's gotta forgive you! I mean, you're YOU!"_ Grotle suggested.

Lucas turned his back to them and shook his head. "You're wrong! What Barry said was the truth. Now Dawn knows it. She's probably afraid of me now. Can't say I really blame her though. I really am a freak that can't even control his powers!"

 _"Lucas!"_

"No! Let's just go. There's no point in staying in this city anymore…"

Grotle eyed his trainer with disappointment. _"Dude! You can't just leave this like this! You gotta make it right!"_

"I said let's go…"

Grotle looked at his allied Pokemon with a worried expression. _"Sparks are you honestly okay with this?!"_

 _"The well being of others are not my concern. If Lucas wants to leave then I won't object."_

 _"But-"_

Sparks snarled. _"As much as I hate to say it, YOU'RE apart of his team. Therefore you are obligated to follow his orders!"_

 _"This has got to be some kind of sad joke! Lucas! You were just with Dawn! You make one little mistake and now you can't even face her to apologize?!"_

"Little mistake?! I hit her! I BURNED HER!"

 _"Then you need say that you're sorry! You don't just bail like some coward!"_ Grotle shouted.

"Tch! Well then maybe I really am a coward…" Lucas said with his head down.

Sparks looked at his trainer, then back to the grass type. _"Enough already! If we're going to leave then let's leave. No point in wasting our breath on senseless disagreements."_

"Then come on. Veilstone City ain't too far from here-"

 _"NO!"_ Lucas and Sparks looked back at Grotle. _"I told you that I want to become stronger! I can't do that with a weak trainer that gives up all the time and loses so much."_

"What are you trying to say?"

Grotle closed his eyes and let out a deep breath of air. _"I'm splitting apart from this little group."_

 _"YOU'RE WHAT?!"_ Sparks shouted angrily.

 _"You heard me fleabag. I'm going it alone from here on out. I've come to realize that I really don't need you guys anymore. This entire journey is just pointless…"_

Lucas stood there, dumbfounded by what his own starter was saying to him. "G-Grotle…"

Sparks was fuming with hatred. He stepped forward and charged up electricity all around his slender body.

 _"How dare you! Ungrateful fool! Have you already forgotten that it was Lucas that got you to evolve in the first place?! He pushed all of us to be better!_ "

 _"BETTER THAN WHAT?! NOT BARRY AND HIS SQUAD! NOT TEAM GALACTIC! THAT GYM BATTLE WAS A STROKE OF LUCK! WE BARELY CAME OUT ON TOP OF THAT!"_

Sparks shook his head. _"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS LUCK YOU BRAIN DEAD BUFFOON! WE WON BECAUSE WE WORKED HARD IN THAT FOREST!"_

 _"WITH BARELY ANY HELP FROM LUCAS! FACE IT! HE'S A BAD TRAINER AND AN EVEN WORSE FRIEND!"_

 _"Take it back. NOW!"_ Sparks flashed his electrically charged fangs.

Grotle scoffed. _"No. I mean it! All of it! You'd admit it too if you weren't so blind!"_

Spark turned his head back towards his trainer's direction. _"Forget about him Lucas! Let's just leave this traitor. We'll show him-"_ Sparks looked around sadly. _"Lucas?"_

 _"See! This is what I'm talking about!"_

Sparks looked around but couldn't find Lucas in sight. _"Where did he go?"_

Grotle sighed. _"He ran away dude."_

 _"Th-this is all YOUR FAULT!"_

 _"ME?! I only told the truth!"_ Grotle said in defense.

 _"You're an absolute fool!"_

 _"If I'm a fool then what are you for following around a trainer that is plain selfish and all around unlikable?"_

Sparks hissed in his face. _"I don't have time for your nonsense you worthless grass type. You know nothing about Lucas. He wasn't always the way he is. Don't speak like you're better than him."_

 _"Whatever! I'm outta here. Good luck Static Shock. You're gonna need it."_

Grotle strolled away from Sparks. This left the electric type scowling. " _Forget you then…"_

Sparks started his own journey in search of his missing trainer. Though as time went by, he would soon realize that his attempts to find him fell short.

 **-Route 209-**

"It's my fault...I really am a coward. A failure just like they said. Just like ALL of them said."

Lucas sat under a large tree, holding his head in his hands. He tried to stop his overwhelming emotions but it was all just too much for him to handle.

 ** _"Don't even think about crying again. You don't deserve to shed anymore tears."_**

"I'm worthless! I'm pathetic! How dare I call myself a trainer. I'm nothing!"

 ** _"You're self loathing is meaningless! GET UP!"_**

"I drive everyone away. EVERYONE!"

 ** _"GET UP! You're wasting time. Precious, precious time…"_**

"I'm alone. Even my own starter abandoned me. Barry was right. Now Dawn's going to leave too. I'm all alone again."

 **"..."**

"Heh...Hehehe...It all makes sense. Perfect sense." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His hands vibrated and quickly stood back up. His eyes opened and showed off a look of resentment. "Everyone is against me. Everyone hates me. Let them hate. I don't care. I'm better than them. None of them have this power. Not a single person on this planet can do what I can do. All I have to do is hone these powers and show them all that **I AM OVER EVERYTHING**!"

He stood up with a wicked smile on his face. That smile wouldn't last though. As soon as he prepared himself to leave, a tall figure dropped down in front of him.

"Ah geez! It's about goddamn time! Sandgem my ass. I knew I sensed your aura around here." The man said.

Lucas glared his two bright red eyes at the stranger. "I don't know who you are but you better move outta my way or else!"

The man staggered back at the boy's sharp tone. "Huh?! Why so hostile kid?"

 **"I SAID MOVE!"**

"You _are_ Lucas, correct? Look I've got a lot to tell you and-"

 ** _~WHAAAAM~_**

The man doubled over and held his tender parts. He gave Lucas a scornful laugh before yelling out with pain and agony.

"Next time, just do as I say and you won't get hurt." The younger boy said with a tone of dark arrogance.

"Ah, okay...So you neglected to tell me that you were a little douchebag when you were younger...Thanks a whole bunch master…"

"What the heck is wrong with you?!"

The man shot up and grabbed Lucas by the sleeve of his shirt. "Listen to me kid. I'm on your side. I came here to fix things and I need you to cooperate with me on this."

"I don't even know you! You're just some weird creep that talks to kids "

"WHAT?! I'm not even that much older than you!" The man shouted.

"Look, I could care less about you and your problems. I'm not in the mood right now!"

"I didn't ask what mood you were in. Just get up and help me!" The man shouted.

Lucas readied his now flaming fist. "Let go or I'll burn you to a crisp."

The man smirked and lifted up his own hand. Bright blue flames surrounded it. The intense heat made Lucas wince in response.

"I don't think so kid." He widened his smirk.

"W-what? How is that even possible?! Only I can do that!"

"Seems like I've piqued your interest. Now will you listen to what I have to say?"

"N-no! I don't care who you are! You will NOT show me up like the rest of them!"

"Someone's a little insecure."

 **"SHUT UP!"** A small explosion went off in the man's face. He dropped the rabid Lucas and wiped the ash from his eyes.

"You gotta be joking. I come all the way back to find YOU, and I get blasted in the face?!"

"Yeah and there's more where that came from too!" The boy charged up a small burst of electricity in his right hand.

"Really now…" The man took one step and disappeared from sight.

"Huh?! Where did he-"

"Gotcha…"

Lucas swallowed a nervous wad of saliva and froze up when two burning hot fingers touched his back. "But how?"

"You were too slow."

Those words played in his mind like a broken record. Over and over again. "No. I wasn't too slow. You were just too fast. I couldn't even see you."

"Train your senses! That was the first lesson." He pressed his fingers farther against Lucas' back. "The second lesson…"

"What are you-"

"Fire Blast." He muttered.

Lucas felt his back heat up. Not even a second later, he was forced head first into a tree with a fully charred vest.

He stood up and tore off the remainder of the burnt fabric. "How can you use Pokemon moves?! Are we related or something?"

"Not by blood if that's what you're referring to."

"None of this makes any sense! Even I can't use an attack like that!"

The man shook his head. "It could make perfect sense if you'd let me explain the situation!"

"Why should I listen to anything you have to say? I'm already having the second crappiest day of my life. I don't need you adding any more crap to the pile!"

"...Third rule." He vanished and reappeared directly in front of Lucas. "Listen." He pulled Lucas to a stiff knee, instantly putting him down.

"ACK!!!" The boy dry heaved on his knees, struggling to grasp some air.

"My name...It's Black. I came from eleven years in the future! A time where everyone that you know and love are gone."

"What...are you...talking about?" Lucas choked out.

"A creature from my region had been awoken from its slumber. All because of a man that you failed to kill. This man would grow to lead a group of naive fools. All of which falsely sought for the liberation of Pokemon from trainers."

"I was supposed to kill someone?! No way! That can't be right!"

"With the man's growing lust for power and the creatures ever growing hunger, they went out to hunt down the two legends of Unova."

Lucas stared at him with frantic eyes. "What the heck is Unova?!"

"The region that I grew up in. The last one that you go to before you die."

The child's blood ran cold. He looked down at the grass with a fearful look. "In only eleven years...I die. No way! NO WAY! YOUR LYING!!!"

"I'M NOT LYING YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Black snapped at him. "I was your apprentice for a few years. I was your first ever student. You trained me and even saved my life a couple of times."

"I did what?! No! You've gotta be lying! Just stop it already!"

"Tch...You were always so...so confident! You were positive about everything! You were amazing! You were a hero!"

Lucas started quivering on the ground with tears falling from his face. "NO! You don't understand! That can't be me. I'm just a...a...waste of everyone's time!"

Black grew irritated with the boy's pathetic behavior. "Dammit! What the hell is up with you?! Why are you such a freaking mess?!"

"No...no...no no no!"

"This has gotta be a joke! LUCAS!" Black yelled.

"Dead...Everyone? No…"

Black exhaled angrily. "GET UP!!!"

"NO!" Lucas screamed! "Leave me alone! You're a liar! There's no way you came from the future, dude! That's impossible!"

Black lost his nerve and slammed the boy against a nearby tree. "You little wimp! My friends are DEAD! My mom is DEAD! My little brother is more than likely DEAD! Everyone I knew was pretty much gone kid! You wanna know which death hurt me the most?"

"It was YOURS! When you died, I felt like everything and everyone was automatically screwed. You died and left me and my friends with the burden of protecting not just Unova, but the entire freaking world." Black pulled out a strange looking stone. "THIS was what you gave me. YOU GAVE ME THIS! This was just so that if things got too far out of hand, I could go back in time and rewrite history. All I had to do was talk to you!"

"What? Why would I tell you to talk to me?! I don't freaking know or care about you!"

"How the hell would I know?! You're NOTHING like how you were in my timeline! You're just a whiny little kid! I don't know why he wanted me to meet the twelve year old version of himself!"

"Well clearly I just messed things up again. Looks like I'm still a failure in the future. It's inevitable."

Black flung him to the dirt. He watched as the kid struggled to get back to his feet. "Are you seriously this much of a drag? The beacon of hope really was an annoying little brat that can barely use his powers!"

"Unfortunately, yes! I really am…"

"You've gotta be kidding me with this."

"Well I'm not. This is me. I have nothing right now. No pokemon. No friends! I'm a loser. That's why I need to get to Veilstone City. I have to be able to fight. All for myself."

"You don't even know how to fight yet?!" Black shouted.

"No, I don't."

"Can you at least sense auras yet?!"

"I don't think so…"

Black threw his arms up in defeat. "WELL THIS IS JUST GREAT! YOU ARE LITERALLY USELESS!"

Lucas shrunk back and lowered his head. "I know. That's why I have to get stronger. **That's why I need to go alone!"**

"Wait a minute, where is your team? You can't honestly tell me that you got this far on your own."

"Like I said, no pokemon. I left them. I got so upset at my own starter's words that I ditched them in Hearthome. The only one left is Buizel." Lucas muttered.

"YOU MORON! YOU NEVER LEAVE YOUR TEAM BEHIND! THEY DON'T DESERVE THAT!"

"Tch...They don't deserve a failure like me to keep guiding them to...to...NOTHING!"

"You need to go back for them. NOW!"

"I can't! I'm not gonna keep forcing them to put up with me all the time. Besides, **I don't need them…** "

Black lifted him up by the throat and stared him down. "You self deprecating little asshole! Do you really believe this trash your spouting?!"

"It doesn't matter what I believe. Facts are facts. I'll be stronger on my own."

Black dropped him once again and looked at him face to face. "Lucas, I really need you to listen to me. In a few years, there will be no more time to change. There won't be anything left. Everything and everyone is gone. I lost everything including you. That's why I'm begging you." He let out a subtly breath before continuing. "You need to man up. You're not an ordinary kid. You're different. You will always be different and that's okay. I'm different too. In the future, you helped me see my potential."

"This other Lucas you keep talking about just isn't who I am."

Black nodded. "I know. You're not him and you never will be him. You have to be better if you want to save this world. You two are both the same in flesh and blood." He poked a finger to the kid's chest. "It's right here that matters the most."

"...My pectorals?"

"What?! No you dumbass! Your heart! You've gotta have the will to be better than what you say. You have the potential. You just gotta add a little hard work. I've seen first hand what you can do. You've changed the world before and you'll do it again. I know you can. Otherwise I'll have to go back in time and kick your butt again."

This made Lucas grin ever so slightly. "Okay. No more crying! If I'm really the only thing that can fix the future then I have to step up!"

"There you go! That's what I like to hear!"

"First things first. I gotta find my team. I've got a lot to say to them. Thanks uh...Black right?"

The young man flashed a thumbs up. "Yep."

"Alright, I'll see ya around Black!" Lucas turned and nearly ran off before he realized something. "Wait...How will I be able to find you again."

"I'll be close by kid." He nodded.

"Oh...Well alright! Catch you later!"

Lucas bolted right back towards Hearthome city with little fault in his step. Black looked on with a light smile gracing his face. That was until something hit him.

"Wait a minute...Aren't I suppose to fade away or something?" He examined his hands intensely in hopes of disappearing to a brighter future. It never happened though. "Damn! Did I screw up? He looked pretty determined to me. I nailed that speech! Something has gotta be off. Maybe I didn't make a big enough change." He slapped a hand against his forehead. "Great job Black! Now I gotta go keep tabs on him! But first, I need some new clothes." He glared at the rags he was currently in.

 **Meanwhile…**

Lucas was already running around the city with a hardened gaze that fell upon every corner of Hearthome. He was NOT gonna press forward without them.

He passed by building after building and even asked around until he made it to the Pokemon Center. That's when his heart temporarily stopped. He saw them. Sparks, Grotle, Barry and a lightly bandaged up Dawn. He took a deep breath and walked over to the small group.

Sparks ear twitched when he heard the sound of footsteps. He turned around and saw his trainer. _"Lucas! I knew you'd come_ _back!"_ He ran up to his trainer with a rejuvenated mood.

The others turned around and saw him. Barry instinctively stood in front of Dawn and sent him a murderous glare. "Hey! You stay away from her man!"

Lucas fought back the urge to argue and instead got down on his knees. "I owe each of you a sincere apology." He looked at Dawn first with shame in his eyes. "Dawn I am so sorry that I hurt you. It was an accident, but even still it's my responsibility to know when to restrain myself. My powers are dangerous and can get outta hand when my emotions get involved. I promise that I won't ever hurt you again. I know that this isn't enough to make up for the pain I caused you. I will make it right as soon as I can. I swear it to you."

"Lucas I forgive you. I know you didn't mean to." She said softly. He'd be lying if he said hearing her voice didn't lift his spirits.

He took another deep breath. The next one was definitely gonna hurt his pride a bit. "Barry…"

"What?" The blonde spat back.

He suppressed the growl trying to escape his throat. "I'm...sorry I lashed out at you. I'm also sorry for the bad blood that I may have caused. Times have changed. We aren't toddlers anymore. I understand that I've got a lot of growing to do, but that still doesn't give me the right to act like a jerk. I guess deep down I was just a little bit um...well…"

Barry raised a brow. "Jealous?"

"Ahem...Yeah that."

"Why were you jealous of me?! I'm not the one with those wicked powers!"

Lucas pressed his hands against the floor and squeezed his eyes shut. He HATED having to admit stuff like this. Especially when it was out loud. This was eating at him, but he knew it had to be done. He had to squash all of the nonsense if he wanted to better himself. He needed to become a man.

"It's because you're a way better trainer than me! From the moment we got our starters you had already shown that you were better. I lost my first ever battle. That isn't something I'll ever forget. Then at Eterna city, you actually saved my life! I wanted to feel like I could be strong too! I had the knowledge plus powers and yet I still couldn't say I was better."

Barry dropped his hostility and replaced it with a form of sympathy. "Lucas, I train my team so much just because of you. I will never be as physically gifted as you are. I can't crush boulders. I can't shoot fire and lightning from the palm of my hands. You get to battle not just with your team, but right alongside of them as well. That's something that I could only dream of doing. In a way, I was kind of jealous of you so don't even think about feeling bad. You're my rival dude. We gotta keep each other going."

His words hit hard. Lucas tried to suppress the wave of emotions that flooded his body. Instead he opted to hide it as best as he could. "R-right…"

"...So we cool?" Barry asked

Lucas looked up at him and gave a thumbs up. "Yeah Barry. For now at least."

"Nice." Barry would be lying if he said he wasn't happy that they were finally getting SOMEWHERE.

Lucas finally turned to Sparks and Grotle. "Words can't even begin to describe the level of shame I feel for leaving you two. My starter. The first ever Pokemon that I could claim as my ally on the journey that I set out for. I should've NEVER under ANY circumstances have failed you the way that I did. I will never forgive myself for letting you go. For disappointing you to the point that you weren't satisfied with me as your trainer. All I can do now is hope that you'll give me a second chance."

Grotle looked torn. He didn't even bother making eye contact with Lucas. _"Lucas, you make a lot of promises. Some of which you don't keep. I don't want a trainer that I can't even put my trust in. I don't think we should continue. I meant what I said. I'm going to find my own-"_

 ** _~SMACK~_**

 _"Knock it off you stupid plant! Why are you lying to him like that?!"_ Sparks growled.

 _"Thanks a whole bunch you dumb house cat! You just ruined the prank!"_

 _"Lucas don't listen to him. As soon as you took off he started crying his eyes out. He really did miss you…"_ Sparks grumbled.

"You really missed me?" Lucas asked.

Grotle caved and flung himself onto Lucas. _"Of course I missed you! How could you actually leave?! You really think I wanna explore the whole region all by myself?! NOT HAPPENING! You better not EVER leave me again or else!"_

"Never again. I promise."

 _"Good! Glad we got that outta the way because I'm hungry and you have all the money so…"_

"I have one last apology to say." Lucas looked right at Sparks who returned to his usual aggressive look. "Sparks I-"

 _"Save it. So long as you keep your head on straight, I'm good. I just want to get to the next city already. Also...Don't ever break your word like that again."_

Lucas was taken aback by his chilling tone but nodded anyway. "Will do buddy."

"So what happens now? Hearthome is still missing their gym leader." Barry spoke.

"Nothing's changed. Veilstone City is still our best option. We can circle back to Hearthome if we head to Pastoria afterwards." Dawn suggested.

"That's where Crasher Wake is! Man I've always wanted to meet him!" The blonde shouted.

"So does that mean you're tagging along with the group?" She asked.

Barry looked at Dawn while taking a moment to think. "You know what? Sure! I'll roll with you slowpokes for now. "

"Alrighty then, it's settled. We're heading to Veilstone as a team this time."

 _"So long as none of you get in my way…"_ Sparks scoffed.


	15. The Right Work

"Wait a second! You met who?!"

"He said his name was Black. He came from the future. Apparently most of the Earth is wiped out due to some monster. I'm not really sure on all the details. For all I know he could just be some kind of creep. The guy DID have powers like me though."

"Are you guys related?" Dawn asked.

Lucas shrugged. "It's what I thought too. I think he was like my student or something."

Barry dropped to his knees, screaming hysterically. "This is nuts! I can't die so soon! I haven't even gotten to become the president of the world!"

Lucas looked down at his palms. A faint glow quickly caught his eye. He clenched his hand shut and furrowed his brows. He had the power to change things. Black had said so himself.

"I'm gonna fix our future. I won't let anyone die to whatever the heck is out there. Not while I'm still breathing."

 _"Hmph! A good attitude to have. I for one refuse to be put down by some unknown threat."_ Sparks sneered with his arrogance on full display.

 _"Gotta say, I agree with fur ball on this one. I'm too handsome to die!"_ Grotle said as well.

Buizel scratched his head. _"T-this is a lot to take in you guys! First, you all get into a fight, then Lucas meets Future Man, finds out we all literally DIE to something we don't even know about and then we just go back to our regularly scheduled journey?!"_

 _"Yeah pretty much…"_ Grotle said with a nod.

 _"Oh okay.''_

"We should be at Solaceon Town in about two days. That ain't too bad." Lucas said.

Barry scratched his head. "What's over there again?"

Lucas sighed. "Do you not read the map locations? Like at all?"

"Nope! I've just been gunning it this whole time."

"You know...That does explain a lot." Dawn muttered.

"Yeah a little too much…" Lucas returned to the map in his hands. "There's a daycare, a tower to commemorate the dead, and a Pokemon Center."

"Meh! Sounds kinda boring if you ask me. Is there at least a gym?"

"Nope…" Lucas grumbled.

 _"If there's no place to test my strength, then that town is utterly useless!"_ Sparks yelled furiously.

"Actually, it's perfect. Gives us time to practice."

 _"How so?"_

Lucas took off his backpack and tossed it to the ground. He took off his damaged vest and cracked his knuckles. "Like I said, no more baby stuff! We're busting our butts this time around!"

Sparks smirked and got into a much more feral stance. _"Excellent!"_

 _"Do we have to?"_ Buizel whined.

 _"Absolutely you worthless water type."_

Grotle glanced at Lucas with a bold grin. _"Finally! Some real training!"_

"All three of you! Come right at me!"

 _"I don't need back up!"_ Sparks yelled.

"No objections! Now attack!"

 _"As you wish!"_

"So should we stand back?" Barry asked.

"Yes. We should." Dawn nodded.

A heavy bolt of lightning nearly struck Lucas in his chest. He avoided it and rolled under a thick orb of natural energy.

"Not good enough you guys!"

 _"_ _Dumb cat! Hit your target!"_

Sparks hissed violently at him. _"You're one to talk. YOU MISSED HIM TOO!"_

 _"I'm not the one shooting lightning from my mouth!"_

 _"So you admit that electricity is better than pathetic grass type moves!"_

 _"HA! Let's not get crazy!"_

"FOCUS!" Lucas shouted as he punt kicked Sparks into a random boulder in the distance. He dodged Grotle's Razor Leaf and spit a few burning hot embers onto him.

 _"GET IT OFF!"_ He screamed as the flames grew around him. He frantically ran around in circles until he crashed head first into the same boulder as Sparks.

That left Buizel. The water type was quivering with fear and Lucas advanced. He wasn't sure of what he could possibly do to Lucas all by himself.

Lucas smiled. "You can do it Buizel! Just try your best."

 _"But I'm not tough like the rest of you guys. I'm terrible in a fight!"_

"So long as you try, I'm happy. Besides, once we're done, we'll grab lunch."

 _"LUNCH?!"_ Buizel wasted no time sending a hefty stream of water towards Lucas.

The boy narrowly escaped the blast of water before getting tackled to the grass below. He looked up at his glaring Buizel.

"Hey now! That's not too shabby." Lucas quickly lifted both knees up and flung the water type off with a push of his legs. "You really can get serious when you want to."

 _"LUNCH!"_

Lucas smirked. "Show me that you deserve it!"

Buizel shot fourth another burst of water from his mouth. Lucas mimicked his actions and shot out his own mouth blast. A line of hot flames collided with with the steady spray of chilled water, causing a cloud of steam to rise up.

 _"Oh crap! Where is he?!"_ The water type searched around aimlessly for his trainer. _"FIGHT ME ALREADY! I'M STARVING!"_

Directly above him, the thick steam had separated and down came Lucas with his cocked back fist crackling with intense lightning.

"GET READY!" He shouted.

 _"No no no no NO NO NO NO!!!_

"TRY TO STOP THE THUNDER PUNCH!!!" The boy yelled as his decent picked up more speed.

 _"I refuse to starve!"_ Buizel sent out another blast of water upwards. This particular blast wasn't like his water gun. It was a more distorted shape.

Lucas moved his electrically powered fist in front of him and easily cut through the water.

 _"OH COME ON! THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!"_

With a loud cry of power, Lucas slammed his knuckles across the water type. Buizel bounced roughly against the grass and smashed into the already groggy Sparks and Grotle as they both attempted to get back to their feet.

Lucas stood there and stared at his hand. He watched the electricity fade away with a small grin. "That was actually kinda fun." He looked at his fallen team. "GET UP YOU GUYS! IT'S TIME FOR ROUND TWO!"

Grotle let out a painfilled groan. _"I take it back. I don't want him training me anymore."_

 _"Don't be such a pansy…"_ Sparks muttered.

 _"How's about you GET OFF OF ME!!!"_

 _"I would if the useless water type would wake up!"_

"Lets go guys! CHOP CHOP!!!"

 _"Do we have to? You really hurt!"_

"Don't care Grotle! Get up!"

"Hey Lucas!" Barry called out.

Lucas instinctively glared but decided to relax himself. "Yes Barry?"

"Why don't you go head to head with my team? Could be fun."

"Are you nuts? Why would you want me to beat up your pokemon?"

"Ah, don't worry about it man! My squad can hang with you! Give them a chance."

Lucas scoffed at Barry's bold statement. "Fine, but if they end up mortally wounded don't blame me."

"AWESOME!" He brought out a pokeball and chucked it up into the sky. When the capsule opened, an orange pokemon came bursting out. "Alright Monferno! Your opponent is Lucas! Don't hold anything back!"

His pokemon flashed a thumbs up before readying himself. A wild look burned into its eyes.

"Let's get this going!" Lucas shouted.

"Monferno, use Mach Punch!"

The flaming monkey dashed faster than the eye could see. He stopped directly in front of Lucas and delivered and a punch to his midsection.

Lucas briefly winced. "What the heck was that?!"

"Hit em' again!"

Another punch was sent to Lucas. The boy moved his head out of the way and kicked Monferno back a few feet.

"That's pretty fast. I'll give you props for that." Lucas charged up a small amount of electricity in his hands. "Let's see if you can take a real attack though."

Barry narrowed his eyes. He had to think. If Monferno got hit by a direct attack like that, he'd probably be out of commission. "MONFERNO!"

The orange Pokemon glanced back at his trainer. He saw Barry pointing to the ground in a circular motion and automatically understood the order.

Lucas felt a light tingle in his hands as the electricity grew brighter. "I hope you're watching Barry!" With a loud BOOM, he shot forward with a raised fist. "What happens next is your fault!"

"HIT IT FULL TIME!!!"

The fire type sped away with his flaming attack. He circled around and struck Lucas in the back. This sent him tumbling across the grass with an even more charred than before shirt.

"What attack was that?"

"Flame wheel. It's an attack we practiced for like three days. Pretty solid right?"

"Tch...What a pain."

Barry let a grin spread across his face. He took a slight glance toward his right and saw Dawn looking on in amazement. His heartbeat quickened as he looked at his childhood friend. He wanted nothing more than to impress her.

"ALRIGHT MONFERNO! LET'S KICK IT UP!"

Monferno let out a loud yell as he pounded his chest.

"Bring it!" Lightning crackled around his fist. The boy tried to mask his growing irritation but was slowly starting to lose his temper at Barry's sudden confidence.

 _"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!"_ Sparks growled. _"That stupid fire type actually landed a hit!"_

Grotle simple gasped at what used to be a Chimchar that he knew all too well. _"...No way…"_

"Monferno! Mach Punch!"

With a burst of speed, the pokemon swung it's fist once more. Unfortunately for the fire type, Lucas grabbed its arm and quickly applied pressure.

"No." The young boy smashed his electrically enhanced fist into its stomach and flung it into the air.

"Hey Monferno! Use-"

Lucas blasted off into the sky and smacked it back down with another brutal punch. The fire type slammed directly into the ground leaving a small crater.

Lucas landed down softly and folded his arms. "Recall your pokemon before things get any worse for it."

"Nice job buddy. Take a good rest."

"You sending out something else or are we done here. I planned on training MY team. Not yours."

"You're really strong dude. I had no idea you could move that fast."

Lucas was caught off guard by Barry's mild praise. "Oh...Th-thanks…" He tried to fight back his growing embarrassment.

Dawn walked up to the two with her wide eyed Piplup in her arms. "You and Monferno were awesome Barry. You were too Lucas."

Barry smiled brightly. "YOU KNOW IT!"

"Thanks." Lucas simply nodded.

"Um...If it's not too much trouble, could you battle me and Piplup as well Lucas?"

"Huh? You want me to fight your Piplup?"

"Well it's doesn't have to be you necessarily. You or one of your pokemon."

"I see." He looked at his crew and narrowed his eyes perceptively. "Alright! Who to choose…"

 _"ME! PICK ME! I WANNA DO IT!"_ Sparks ran up and shouted. Grotle wasted no time shoving him to the side.

 _"NO WAY! YOU GOTTA USE YOUR STARTER! I'M THE STRONGEST! Plus I'm pretty effective against water types if I do say so myself."_

Sparks simply rolled his eyes. _"Electric type standing right next to you. I can body a weak water type too."_

 _"Meh, I do it better."_

 _"NO! YOU REALLY DON'T!"_

 _"YEAH I DO!"_ Grotle shouted.

Sparks sneered. _"YOU DON'T!"_

 _"I DO SO!"_

 _"YOU DO NOT!"_

Lucas looked at the quivering Piplup in Dawn's arms. "Buizel! How about you step up to the challenge."

 _"Me?! But I just lost to you."_

"Come on Buizel. You're so much tougher than you think. I'm sure you can teach Piplup some things."

 _"Oh alright…You still owe me a meal though."_

Dawn kissed the top of her water type before placing him on the grass. "You can do it. Just try your best."

Buizel unfolded his flipper like arms. He stepped forward and stared down at the sweating Piplup. It made a nervous chirping sound as it tried to stand up to the taller opponent.

Buizel noticed this and sighed. _"Hey take it easy. I'm not like those two battle hungry boneheads arguing over there. I'm more of an eater than a fighter."_ The Piplup eased up a bit. This made Buizel crack a grin. _"I'll tell you what. I'll practice my form of defense while you try to attack me. That sound good?"_

The small blue bird nodded with a much more determined look on its face.

"Looks like they're ready to go! Alright Buizel, show them what's up! Use Water-" Lucas paused as he watched Buizel close his eyes. "Y-you alright there buddy?"

Dawn was confused as well but decided to roll with it. "Piplup! Hit him with a peck!"

He nodded and blasted forward with his now glowing beak.

"Buizel! Stop him with Water Gun!"

Buizel didn't listen. He just kept breathing with his eyes shut. _"Just like the others…Concentrate..."_

 _"What is that useless water type doing now? He's gonna get hit standing there like that."_

"I don't know Sparks. I can't really tell."

Grotle chuckled. _"He probably just fell asleep. That is Buizel we're talking about."_

" _Breathe…settle your heart...Imagine the flow of water...Every drop pouring from a waterfall…"_

Piplup was ready to collide with his target. That was until he seemed to visibly faze right through his foe. He started panicking as he smashed head first into a tree.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!?!" Barry shouted with awe.

Everyone saw it. Piplup had passed through the still Buizel. He hadn't made a single move to avoid the hit.

"Lucas what attack was that?"

"I have no idea. Let me get out my dex." He did just that and scanned his pokemon. "What? That can't be right."

Barry glanced over his shoulders. "What is it?"

"Water Gun...Quick Attack...Pursuit...then Water Sport. Those are what he currently knows. I think he also tried an off version of Water Pulse too. Even still, there's no move that should do something like that."

Barry scratched his head. "You sure it wasn't just Quick Attack? He was probably just moving too fast for us to process."

"No way it was just a simple attack like that. I'd be able to pick up on it. Instead of a move, I think it was more of a personal technique."

"Technique? Isn't that the same thing."

"Close but no. Think of it as more of a style. I read up on stuff like that when I was really little." Lucas spoke as he watched Buizel's still form.

Piplup had finally managed to rip himself away from the tree. He turned around and glared daggers at his opponent.

"It's okay Piplup! Try using Bubble." Dawn called out.

He opened his beak and fired off a group of large glowing bubbles. Buizel had made no movement to evade. He just stood there.

Sparks stared long and hard at the orange water type. _"Let's really see this technique in action."_

 _"Concentrate...Let the water flow gently down the river…Breathe in through the nose…"_

Everyone watched as the attack passed through his body just as the first one did. This left Piplup growing aggravated. He blindly ran forward and swung his little flippers at Buizel who still managed to avoid getting hit.

 _"Out through the mouth…"_ Buizel exhaled deeply and grabbed Piplup's incoming chop and flung him over towards a wide eyed Dawn.

"W-what was that?!?! How does he not have a scratch on him?" She asked while holding her fuming pokemon.

Barry laughed a bit. "That's some Buizel you've got there. I still can't believe what I just saw."

Lucas and his team walked over to the water type who had just opened his eyes.

"Buizel! That was awesome! How the heck did you even do that?"

 _"Do what?"_

 _"Are you serious?! You just did it a second ago! The whole going through moves, thing! What was it?"_ Grotle asked with much more impatience.

" _As much as it pains me to say it to a water type, I would like to understand that ability as well. It may prove to be useful one day."_

 _"Sorry guys but I really can't say. It's something I just can't tell you about."_

Sparks sent him a nasty look. _"And why is that?! Don't think you're better than me just because you've got some little parlor trick! I could still beat you easily if I wanted to!"_

 _"I don't think you understand. I am sworn to secrecy. I gave my word to my division leader that I would keep the knowledge on our hidden art a secret. Besides, I haven't even perfected it. I actually only got it fifty percent."_

"Fifty percent? How are you only doing half of a technique?"

Buizel looked up at his trainer and narrowed his eyes. _"Well I never got to learn the other half of it because some human and his deranged cat decided to electrocute the entire riverbank I was scheduled to watch over and capture me. My commanding officer is probably so mad at me right now!"_

 _"YOU were actually on guard? That's hard to believe."_ Grotle said aloud.

"Well for what it's worth, I'm sorry Buizel. If you wanna go back then-"

 _"HEY HEY HEY! Let's not jump to conclusions here! Those guys back at base were a group of jerks. Even more than the psycho cat and the walking bush. I'll go back whenever I feel like I can beat my commander."_

Sparks sighed. _"As much as I want to rip you to shreds for that cat comment, I somewhat respect your ambitions."_

Lucas cracked a small smile. "Well then let's keep working on that hidden talent of yours. I know you'll get it down real soon.

 _"Sure...but can we PLEEEEEEEASE get something to eat. I think I'm gonna pass out."_

Lucas, Barry, Dawn and all of their current team members decided to set up camp. Sparks, Turtwig and Barry's Roselia all left to go search for meat, wood and berries respectively. Back at camp, Buizel was delivering fresh water from a nearby stream with Piplup following behind. Both engaged in some sort of conversation. Dawn and her most recent team member Buneary was adding more ingredients to a large pot that Lucas and Barry's Monferno kept heated.

Barry was finishing up the tents before grabbing a town map. He paced around as he read it to himself.

I say we end up in Solaceon Town by noon tomorrow. We can stop at the Center and push forward to Veilstone.

"Slow your roll there Barry. Can't you see the clouds forming. It's gonna rain pretty darn badly tomorrow. We should chill at Solaceon for a little bit and then go when it's clear out." Lucas said to him.

"Aw what?! No way dude! I can't wait any longer than a day to get there! We gotta go tomorrow."

"Do you ever like...relax?"

Barry shook his head. "I can relax when I'm six feet under! Time's wastin' you guys!"

Dawn halted her stirring and let her Buneary take over. "Why are you in such a rush anyway Barry?"

"Yeah! If anyone is gonna be in a rush, it should be me. I'm the one that really needs to see the gym leader."

"Huh? Oh...No reason! Just really wanna see the sights."

The other two looked skeptically at the blonde. "That's such a load of crap."

Barry faked a yawn and walked over to the tent. "Woo I'm beat. I might turn in. Goodnight!"

"Night? The sun hasn't even gone down all the way yet…" Lucas huffed.

Dawn looked at the bubbling pot. "You haven't eaten either."

He stared at them with moisture building up on his forehead. "...Going to sleep now." His Monferno tried to go with him but Barry motioned him to stay and have fun with everyone else.

Lucas rolled his eyes and gave up. "Whatever man."

"Goodnight I guess…"

The two watched as Barry zipped up the tent. Lucas was annoyed while Dawn was a little down that the three of them couldn't hang out a little more.

Lucas stretched out his limbs and reclined back on a stump. "Where the heck are Grotle and Sparks?"

"They might be in trouble. Should we go look?"

"Nah...They're idiot's sometimes but I know they can hold their own out there if they use a little bit of brains. I mean Sparks went on a rampage as a little Shinx and Grotle hates being outdone by his comrades. They'll be fine."

"You've got a lot of faith in them. That's nice to see." She gave him a smile with a slight hint of sadness.

"I have to. After what I've put them through so early on in our journey, I have to do better. To think that I almost gave up and left them..." The boy angrily pushed his hand through the blades of grass below him. "I'm a disgrace! Never again!"

"Well you know what you have to do now so I'm positive you'll be fine."

"What about you?"

Dawn looked at him confused for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Well, have you thought about what you really wanna do?"

"Kinda. Nothing to confirm yet though."

"Well if you ever want to be a trainer, I'd be glad to help you." He paused for a bit. "I'm sure he could help you too." Lucas said as he pointed to the tents.

Buizel and Piplup walked over to the fire with their final bucket of water. " _You'll definitely get the hang of it! I'll tell you what! Let's make a bet. Whoever masters their secret skills first get rights to the other's special ability. Sound like a deal?"_ Piplup looked at him and nodded. This made Buizel grin.

"Thanks for the water you two. You guys did a great job." Dawn spoke with gratitude.

"Yeah seriously. We got enough for everyone now."

Just then, Grotle came bolting out from the trees with multiple branches on his back. _"I've got WOOD!"_

Barry's Roselia came out with a bag full of berries. She set them to the side and bowed to everyone.

"Hmm, so that just leaves Sparks."

"Come on Lucas! We gotta get outta here! RELOCATE! HURRY WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME!"

"What the heck are you talking about. We're not leaving with Sparks!"

 _"WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS THE STUPID GRASS TYPE?!?!"_

Lucas glared below him. "What did you do?"

"So I might've ticked him off by scaring away his targets."

"Why and how?"

 _"Long story..."_

"Then shorten it!" He hissed though his teeth.

Lucas was only answered by a stray bolt of electricity hitting him in the dead center of his body.

 _"Ah crap! LUCAS!!!"_ Grotle shouted.

Sparks scanned the area and saw a paralyzed Lucas on the ground glaring. _"S-sorry Lucas..."_

Meanwhile, from inside the tent, Barry was blocking out the antics from his fellow campers. He was too busy gripping a small, wrinkled up piece of paper. The words on it driving him mad with rage and hatred.

 _' **Meet your hero! The one and only King of the Frontier. The Tower Tycoon Palmer! Catch him at the Veilstone city square during the tenth annual Veilstone tournament. All trainers are welcome!'**_

"The tournament is in two days. I won't miss you again. You're done running from me!"

He crumbled up the paper and tossed it aside. Before forcing himself to sleep.


	16. Engulfed in Prayer

"If you two don't pick up the pace you're both gonna get fined."

Both Dawn and Lucas scoffed at the blonde's usual impatience.

"Barry, I can see the town from here."

"Yeah man. We're almost there so chill the heck out already."

The blonde pointed an accusing finger at an already annoyed Lucas. "YOU REEEEEALLY BETTER HURRY IT UP!"

"Get your finger outta my face before I break it like freaking pencil."

"Let's all just calm down. We're like five minutes away."

The two boys looked at Dawn with a mild glare. "IT'S HIS FAULT!!!"

The bickering went on for another few minutes before they all proceeded to continue the journey. Unbeknownst to them, a figure was watching from atop a nearby tree branch.

Dressed in a black tank top, loose fitting grey sweats and a pair of black hi top work boots was none other than Black. He kept his eyes on the dark haired boy in particular. His eyes glowing a bright blue color in contrast to their usual chocolate brown.

"Well...What do you think?" He asked as he tore the tag off of a recently "purchased" red and white snap back cap that closely resembled his old one.

 ** _"His aura isn't controlled. He doesn't seem to be making much use of it either. He's vastly different from the Cre-"_** There was a pause. **_"Forgive me Hilbert. I almost slipped and said it again."_**

He flinched at the use of his biological name. "It's fine Reshiram. Besides, I think you've got a point. I really couldn't believe it at first either. The Lucas from my time was strong, confident, kindhearted, gentle...He was a real live hero. To think he started out as some short tempered brat with more insecurities than a kid should ever have is outright nonsensical."

 ** _"How do you plan to go about his growth? If we are to make a change, we will have to give him much more incentive than just a simple warning."_**

"Tch...Damn! I know I should try something but it could be risky."

 ** _"What did you have in mind?"_**

"I don't know his exact level of heroism yet. What I DO know is that he isn't too good when faced with a challenge that is unfamiliar to him. I could tell when I fought him. When he starts to lose the upper hand he doesn't get that sudden drive to do better. He loses his will. That has to change sooner than later."

 ** _"So what shall you do?"_**

"I'll give him to a little test. Put him in some situations that he has to really think hard when solving.

 ** _"...I feel as though you are thinking of something quite drastic."_**

"It'll be fine. I'll make sure no one is hurt. Just sync with me for a bit. I need a bit of your power for the first test."

 ** _"Please be careful Hilbert."_**

He grabbed the royal blue hoodie from the branch and threw it on. "I will. I promise."

 **Meanwhile…**

Lucas, Dawn, and Barry had walked out of the Pokemon Center with there team all healed up. The had finally made it to Solaceon Town but had differing opinions on what to do next.

"Come on you guys! There's no time to go around sightseeing! Veilstone isn't even all that far! WE CAN MAKE IT!!!" Barry shouted while bouncing on his toes, ready to take off.

"What? No way. We just got here! Plus, I was gonna go check out the tower. I heard it's resting place for the dead." Lucas quickly protested.

"Who wants to go see a bunch of dead stuff? That sounds boring! I would rather get to Veilstone."

The other boy frowned with a vein bulging from the side of his head. "Whatever dude! Go run off to Veilstone by yourself then!" Lucas turned to Dawn with hopeful eyes. "You wanna tag along?"

"Oh, I was actually gonna go see the daycare instead."

He tried to hide downcast expression and opted to give a nod of depressing acceptance. "Oh okay…"

"Are you guys serious? We HAVE to get to Veilstone today!"

"Why are you in such a rush Barry? This is a journeyso let's actually see the sights."

He looked at Dawn with a nervous grin. "Nothing in particular. I just really want my next badge."

She shook her head and grabbed his arm. "Come on! We're going to the daycare to see all the little pokemon!"

"HUH?!?! But I don't wanna go!"

She ignored his flailing and screaming while dragging him down the dirt path. Lucas stood the glaring at his shoes before turning towards the tower. His mood being much worse than it was before.

As he stepped inside, he automatically got a chill up his spine. It was darker than he had expected. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't terrified of his ongoing phobia with the darkness. In a moment of weakness he called out Sparks and hugged him tightly.

 _"Umm...Lucas?"_

"Don't ask Sparks. Just let it happen."

The electric type held back his embarrassment and decided it was best to just relax with his startled trainer.

 _"Where are we?"_

"A tower for the dead. It's a resting place for pokemon that trainers loved."

Sparks looked around with empathetic glances at the sobbing humans around him. _"These people all lost their partners?"_

"Yeah...It's sad, but it happens all the time. Nothing ever lasts forever."

Lucas continued walking up the stairs to the next floor which was admittedly harder to see due to some light fog.

 _"Not to sound disrespectful but, why are we here? Did the grass type finally croak?"_

"No! I just thought that maybe we could all take the time to remember those that we've lost. You know? Pay our respects."

 _"Oh...Is that what this is?"_

Lucas nodded before sending out the rest of his team. He filled them all in as they reached the top. By then, it had been nearly impossible to see anything aside from two blank gravestones in the middle of the room.

"Well, this is it. Anyone tryna go first?"

 _"...I will."_ Sparks said quietly. The group watched as he stepped forward and spoke.

 _"His father died? How did that happen?"_ Buizel muttered confused.

Grotle nudged him. _"Shut up."_

 _"Father...I don't know what to really say. I just wish that you were still here with me. I hope you're doing okay. If you're still worried about me than you can stop now. I'm fine. I'm growing stronger with each passing day. I've gotten myself a trainer too, so you can rest easy now. He's really nice. EvEven as a human."_

Sparks walked back over to Lucas' side and sighed. Lucas gave him a nice little pat on the head.

"Alright. Who's next?"

 _"Oh uh, can I go?"_ Buizel asked with a raised flipper.

"Sure. It's all you bud."

The water type stepped forward and bowed his head. " _Dear Sergeant, I know that I messed up a ton in training camp and that probably made you really angry. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything. I let you down when our base got raided. I take full responsibility for your death. I'm also sorry that I left my post. I may seem like a traitor in the eyes my former comrades but I can humbly assure you that I will be stronger than you and even the Captain of the Floatzel Force one day. You have my word. I will prove myself worthy. Goodbye Sir."_

He lifted himself back up and took a step back while wiping his face. Lucas gave him a slight hug. "I will make you stronger. I know you'vegot what it takes."

 _"Thanks Lucas."_

That left one last member of the team besides Lucas himself. "Come Grotle. Even you've gotta miss someone."

 _"Hmmmmmmmmmm...NOPE! Can't think of anyone."_

 _"Swallow that foolhardy pride of yours for once and speak!"_ Sparks growled.

 _"UGH! Fine...Geez dude…"_

"Thank you Grotle."

The grass type stepped up and let out a groan. _"Well...I'm here to talk to you sis. I uh, bet you're probably still mad about how I used to bug you all the time. You're also...Probably still mad that I ate most of the food on your birthday. Maybe you're mad at how I uh, ran away and you...died trying to save me. I know that I didn't listen. I caused trouble and you ended up being punished because of it. I know that I mess up a lot and I'm REALLY sorry. I just wanted to explore and be cool like you...I never meant for you to get crushed in that cave...I...I just…"_

Lucas saw his starter getting choked up and decided to kneel down next to him. He clapped his hands together and began to pray. "Thank you. Thank you so much for inspiring the best starter I could ever ask for. He's amazing and has real potential. I know he's gonna do great things."

Grotle haulted his tears and stared at his trainer. He decided to keep quiet as Lucas smiled at him. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he felt the same way about his trainer too. He saw the endless amounts of potential. Now he wanted nothing more than to bring it out and show the world.

 _"Th-thanks…"_

"Guess that leaves me now." He closed his eyes. "Grandpa...It's been a while since we've talked but I had to let you know that I'm really doing it now. I'm on my way to new heights. I've even goten two badges. I've even got number three on the way!" He took a pause and removed the hat. "It hasn't always been easy. I got beat up a lot. Met some real bad people. I've even heard that the future ends up real bad too." He gripped the hat tighter as his team stepped next to him. They all huddled up close for comfort. "That doesn't matter though. I've got my team with me. Dawn and Barry are here too. I've learned a lot so far and I want to change. I've got a long way to go but...Someone told me that I really can be great. I just have to-"

He put an end to his words and turned to face a panting woman the was running up the stairs.

"HOLY CRAP! KID YOU GOTTA GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"

They all looked back at the panicking woman as she practically dragged the boy down the stairs of the tower.

"What's going on?!"

"There was as sudden fire that struck the town. People are freaking out right now."

"Fire? How did that even happen?!" Lucas asked.

"No one knows. It just happened out of nowhere." She said through multiple coughs.

When they got outside the town was in complete chaos. Buildings were burning and starting to collapse.

"But we were just here! Everything was so peaceful before!" Buizel shouted.

"Come on guys!" Lucas said as he dashed towards the heat of the situation.

"Kid hang on! You can't just run off like that!" The woman shouted to no avail.

As he looked around, he saw the few people that resided there screaming with fear. The boy's eyes darted over each burning building until they rested upon the daycare.

"Barry and Dawn were in there. I've got no choice but to run in and save them!"

He charged inside the daycare center and pushed aside the burning rubble. He looked at Buizel who was already putting out multiple fires with his Water Gun.

 _"This is a lot of heat!"_

"I wish I could use water type moves right now." Lucas said as he shielded himself from the burning debris. He scanned the wreckage until he saw them. "YOU GUYS!"

They looked towards him and waved frantically in his direction. The flames and tufts of smoke quickly approaching them.

"Uh, Lucas...DO SOMETHING!" Barry shouted.

Both he and Dawn were huddled up next to a group of quivering pokemon. Dawn's Piplup was trying to keep the flames off of him but he seemed to be struggling.

Summoning all the strength that he could muster within his legs, Lucas dashed at the opening that his Buizel had created with his Water Gun. He quickly grabbed them and kicked through a burning wall. They all landed roughly outside of the now collapsed daycare.

"Holy crap! WE'RE ALIVE!" The blonde shouted. Before either he or the girl next to him could thank Lucas, another fire raged on. He had suddenly taken off in a sprint to help out more of the residents.

Lucas and his team stopped in front of a small house that seemed the most damaged.

"Buizel! I need you to back me up! I hear someone inside."

 _"Okay!"_

"Sparks! You see if you can go lend a hand to any of the smaller victims."

The electric type nodded. _"Easy enough._ " He bolted off towards the house adjacent to the current one.

Now, he looked at his Grotle. Both held a serious look in their eyes. "Grotle! I need you to carry as many injured people as you can OUT of the city. Between the flames and the smog, I'd say this place is way too hazardous right now."

 _"I got it!"_

With his starter gone, he turned to his final partner. "Come on! Let's save this person's life!"

Buizel gave him somewhat of a salute. _"Okay Lucas!"_

He moved up to the building, bursting open the front door to see a somewhat chubby man with dark shades on. He was looking around the burning room trying to salvage some burning papers and a laptop.

"Buizel! Clear me another path." He nodded and did as he was told. Lucas moved quickly and cautiously through the small space he had and reached out for the man. "Come on sir! I'm getting you outta here!"

"NO! This could be a monumental scoop! I have to get the rest of my files!"

The boy glared at him. "Do you not see where you are?! COME ON ALREADY BEFORE YOU DIE!"

"I would rather die than go with out my stories! This could be what makes me millions! Forget the others! THIS IS ALL I NEED!"

"Excuse me? You're willing to trade away your life for a dumb story?"

"Not just A story…THE story! Listen to this. KID MONSTROSITY STRIKES AGAIN." He paused and thought of another. "LITTLE DEMON SPREADS HELLFIRE IN PEACEFUL TOWN!" He paused again. "FLAMING CHILD: THE STORY YOU NEVER KNEW!"

Lucas was stuck in a trance. Here he was trying to save the day and this ungrateful sack of crap was making headlines about him. All while Buizel managed the fires and kept them from spreading.

"Are you serious?! You really think that _I_ was the one that caused this?"

"It's doesn't matter what I think. The media is gonna eat this up. Everyone saw you on the news in Jubilife City. You making fire from your body and whatnot. To hear that you're rampaging into another town will send them all into a frenzy."

"You've gotta be kidding me with that! I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Something started this fire kid. Saying that it was you will blow minds all across the world!"

Lucas clenched his teeth shut and stared the man down. "You only care about yourself! You're even willing to make me that bad guy of something that I didn't do! People like you don't deserve to be saved."

 _"Uh...Lucas! The flames are getting a little wild now. We should probably wrap this up."_

Lucas looked around and did in fact see the fire swirling around with wicked movements. That wasn't it though. Some of them had begun to shift colors. Instead of a bright hot orange, they were pitch black. The odd sight had snapped the boy out of his annoyed state and pushed him to firmly grasp the man's shirt collar.

"ENOUGH ALREADY!" He threw the man full force out of a window before grabbing Buizel and leaping out himself. When he hit the charred grass, he noticed crowds of people looking at him. Sparks and Grotle among the many sets of eyes. Some looked relieved. Many were frightened. Others were angered.

Before Lucas could usher a statement, the reporter jumped up and shouted his piece. "IT'S HIM! THE KID WITH THE FREAKISH POWERS!"

"Huh?!"

"You all saw the way he threw me. He's a ruthless killer! He started that fire!"

Sparks was growling with hatred. _"How dare he utter such lies!"_

"I...I didn't…" The boy's meek words went unheard.

"That IS the kid from the Jubilife incident."

"I see it now. Did he really cause this?"

"I saw what he could do. It had to be him."

The people began speaking amongst themselves. Lucas could only sit there questioning what he did wrong. He shifted his eyes away in a timid manner, diverting his attention to a little bird in the sky. He didn't want them to see the slightest bit of nervousness that slipped from inside.

"HEY!"

He turned his head back slowly to see who had suddenly shouted. "Barry?"

"That guy and his team just rescued you idiot's! You should all be on your hands and knees praising him!"

Sparks and Grotle took the opportunity to stand by his side. It was Grotle who decided to boast first. _"Obviously we saved you wimps! I mean, c'mon! Is it really that hard to see?"_

"Hey, that pokemon is what carried me out of danger!"

"Yeah and the smaller one lead me and my kids to safety."

"Are they really the heroes?"

"DUH! Can't you all see that?" Dawn shouted.

More of the townspeople looked at the sweating reporter. "You can't trust him! He's a freak!"

"A freak the saved your sorry ass!"

Everyone turned to face the new figure that landed behing the news reporter. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"That's none of your business." The man looked towards Lucas and grinned. "Not to shabby kid."

"Black?! Why are you here?"

"I'm always watching kid. When I saw how you ran out to go help others, it reminded me of someone I knew. I didn't even need to step in. You commanded your squad and got it done. While the houses may be damaged, everyone still made it out okay. I give you a solid "A". Keep up the good work kid. You've got the stuff."

As quickly as he appeared, he soon vanished leaving everyone in the town dumbfounded. "Wait a minute...Did he-"

Dawn walked closer and whispered to him. "He's right you know. Whoever he is made a good point. You didn't even hesitate to run out and help someone that needed you. What you did was pretty cool. At least...I thought so."

"I uh...umm...Th-thanks Dawn. It was nothing…" He said with a nervous step backwards.

"LIARS! THEY'RE ALL LIARS! THIS KID HAD TO HAVE MADE THE FIRE! IT WAS HIM!" The townspeople all narrowed their skeptical eyes at him. "I know that he did it."

"Oh shut up! Quit spouting your nonsense! Where's your proof?"

"It was all over the news! He can make fire!" The man chanted.

"We don't care about some phony news article! They stretch the truth all the time! I say the kid is innocent. His pokemon saved us and he saved you! He aiain'ta freak! He's a hero!"

"Yeah! Three cheers for the kid and his team!"

 _"Finally some praise for my amazing talents!"_ Grotle shouted happily.

Unfortunately it would be shutdown before it even began. This was all thanks to a somewhat annoyed Barry. "SORRY FOLKS BUT WE'VE GOT A JOURNEY TO FINISH!!!" The crowd grew silent as they dropped their applause. "Yep! We were only passing by. Veilstone is our main priority so if you don't mind, we're gonna get back to it." He nudged Lucas. "Say goodbye so we can get the heck outta here."

Lucas waved. "So long everyone. I'm sorry about the houses and stuff."

The old daycare lady walked over and patted his shoulder. "You did more than enough. Let us take care of the repairs."

"All right you two! Let's move it!" Barry yelled. He started pushing both Dawn and Lucas down the path that led to Route 210.

The townspeople waved goodbye. All except for the reporter who opened up his cracked laptop and got down to work. "I will not lose this!" He grumbled to himself before storming off.

They wandered through a trail of tall grass while Barry danced with glee.

"FINALLY ON THE ROAD AGAIN!"

Dawn glared at him. "Oh Barry, hush! You're acting like you had the worst day of your life!"

"If the fire didn't kill me, I'd have died of boredom. A guy like me can only sit in a daycare for so long before it gets old."

She rolled her eyes prompting Lucas to crack a small smile. He took his hat off and nodded. "Next time grandpa. I promise!" He then thought about Black and lost his smile. Black was up to something. He showed up right after the fire and gave Lucas praise for his actions. That and he was the only other person the boy knew that could use fire type moves. "So he's always watching me…" He stopped walking and looked behind him. A tree stood there swaying silently. There was nothing in it. Not until he turned around to catch up with his allies.

Black looked at him with a blend of differing thoughts. Both him and Reshiram were engaged in a mental conversation.

 ** _"What do you make of his performance Hilbert?"_**

He bit back a swear and decided to ignore the use of his birth name. "He did as well as I had hoped. He has the potential there. His willingness to help is just like the one from my time. He just needs to mature a little bit more."

 ** _"I see. So the plan...Though a bit excessive...Was a successful operation. I'm glad."_**

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet. You felt the dark aura too, correct?"

 ** _"I did...It was very much a weaker aura. It isn't a real threat to anyone at that stage."_**

"I wanna think that too, but that would be foolish of me. I don't like it being near Lucas like that. If it is what I think it is then we have a problem."

 ** _"You don't mean-"_**

"Yeah...Damn! I feel like I'm changing so much in the past and yet it's still not enough to make a difference. I'm still here so my little stunt in town didn't do much of anything."

 ** _"What do you intend to do next? Are you going to start training him early."_**

"No. At least not yet. There are some lessons he needs to learn from his true masters first. He'll arrive at Veilstone soon enough. He'll learn hand to hand techniques from there first. After that, he needs to learn from the original master on how to use aura. He still hasn't shown any signs of using it. It's a little worrying."

 ** _"We just have to give him some time. He'll get it soon. He has too."_**

"We can't wait forever. I'll guide him through this as much as I can to speed up the process. I won't let him down."


End file.
